Hangin' With Mr and Mrs Peete

You might remember Holly Robinson Peete as Officer Judy Hoffs on "21 Jump Street," or Vanessa Russell on "Hangin' With Mr Cooper," or as one of the original panel members of "The Talk."

I always thought that Holly and Leah Remini were the only two people with anything worthwhile to "Talk" about, so naturally, they were fired after one year on the show, which is still on every day and has not been watched by me since Holly and Leah got the can.

You might remember her husband, Rodney, as a fine college quarterback at USC. Rodney was an NFL quarterback for 16 years with the Lions, Cowboys, Eagles and Panthers.

Rodney and Holly have been married since 1995, and they have four kids: twins, daughter Ryan Elizabeth Peete and son Rodney Peete, Jr., son Robinson James Peete, and son Roman Peete.

Rodney, Jr, deals with autism, and his parents were told when he was three that he would just never fit in, not be able to communicate or work in the world. You can read what Holly told People magazine about the struggle to raise a child on the autism spectrum. 

Holly and Rodney impress me, because unlike a lot of parents who give up on children who are dealing with issues, they did not give up or turn their son's upbringing to others. They got busy and got to work, investigating treatments and methods of dealing, and raising funds and awareness.  

It also happens that Holly's father was Matt Robinson, the original Gordon on "Sesame Street."  When Matt became afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, Holly and Rodney co-founded the HollyRod Foundation to work on treatment systems for Parkinson's and autism, and to assist those who live with these conditions.  

I know people who deal with these issues, and there is no such thing as "too much help," I know, so I salute Holly Robinson and her husband, who just as easily could have sat back and said, "We're rich and famous and attractive and talented, so let's sweep anything that suggests otherwise out of the way."  Holly, especially, is all over social media, advocating in meaningful ways for meaningful causes.  

I urge anyone who needs help with either of these life-altering conditions to check out the HollyRod webpage, and I also offer this, a graphic that they shared that, I believe, is of value to every child from 6 months to 166 years...