Hello. I am heather.
i am a wife, mother, writer and web designer. balance is the challenge
i rise to everyday.
Brain Bits
My mother-in-law sent this to Jeff and Kenny, but I've already played it 3 times with a high sherry count and I can't stop laughing. Oh my, people...don't drink and hunt; that's all I gotta say.
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Television - Q and A
01-31-2008 · 61 Comments
In a recent post I mentioned that we don’t “do” television. There were a number of emails that came in as a result of that post. I responded to many of those one on one, but thought I’d post a few of my responses here.
Here we go…
You think your doing your children good because you don’t have tv stationes coming into your home, but your not. PBS has good shows with education for your kids. There are other stations to. People with cable television aren’t bad parents.
You are absolutely right about everything. I do think I’m doing my children good by not paying for cable stations. The amount of junk doesn’t, in my opinion, outweigh the value. I know there are educational stations, but I daresay PBS is not what it once was back when we were children.
P.S. In an effort to be honest, I did not edit your email. It is killing me.
How do your children act when they go somewhere with television?
See above photo at my parents’ house.
I think it’s great you’ve taken a stand against cable television in your home. We have it, I admit, but I agree with what you’ve said. How do you keep your children from watching those same stations when they are at others’ homes?
We allow them to watch television at their friends’ homes. They normally are not at homes of people who do not know us well and therefore, understand our objections to certain types of shows. We have friends who have made the same decision as we have. We also have friends who only allow their children to watch certain shows…shows we also approve of ours watching when they are over there.
My parents will ask the kids, “Does your mother let you watch this?” I would gather they are honest most of the time. *snicker*
You spend a good deal of time on the computer, from what you’ve said. If your kids spend as much time on the computer as you do, isn’t that just as bad as having television in your home? They can be exposed to a lot more on the computer than my kids can be exposed to on television.
Hmmm…perhaps. I would disagree that they can be exposed to as much on the computer as they can on television. I imagine they could if given free reign, but we maintain a tight level of control on where they go and what they see online. As well, they set a timer for 20 minutes when they get on the computer. After 20 minutes, it is their sibling’s turn. So, once an hour they may get 20 minutes computer time IF we don’t have practice, homework, church, dinner, etc…to do.
Do you think you will ever have cable again? Is this just temporary while your kids are young and impressionable?
Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think so, but we’re not locked in. This is our decision now. It works for us now. Jeff would like to watch hockey and some of the college football or the big football games (like Superbowl coming up this Sunday), but he doesn’t want to expose the kiddos to the previews and commercials in between. I would probably enjoy some of the Home and Garden television and I’m a sucker for American Idol - though I’ve only seen the very first one a few years ago.
You say you don’t watch TV, but I have seen a TV in your living room.
You’re right. I didn’t say we don’t watch movies on our television. We use the word TV loosely to mean television stations. We don’t pay for cable and can’t pick up local stations where we are. So, yes we have a television for movie rentals. No, we don’t watch television stations.
So what does your family do at night when many families are watching television?
We read. We read a lot. The kids color, do puzzles, play on their Nintendo DS or Leapster, play with toys, fold clothes, eat supper, clean dishes, y’know…what a typical family does when they aren’t watching TV.
Heather, I missed your post about not having cable, dish or satellite, yet I must highly commend you for the decision!
With all said, it brings about a few questions-
1. When visiting with family or friends is it not rude to gather around the television? We always turn the t.v. off when we have visitors.
2.How do your children adjust at school with classmates asking “did you see… or did you watch?”
3. How do you inform you children of daily/ worldly events? For example the current election.
I’m just curious and certainly am not attacking your decision. I find it interesting.
hee hee … that first question killed me too. It’s my favorite thing to read really horribly grammared (if that’s even a word) criticism.
I think your decision to cut TV (programs!) from your kids’ lives is a good one. I’d love to do that one day, but my husband’s dream is to be a sports journalist, and to do that he kind of needs to watch sports. He’s also a bit of an addict. A sports addict. And that’s an understatement.
Anyway, kudos to you!!!
Applause. Applause. Applause.
And yes, that first “response” is killing me, too.
It always makes it better when the negative people suck at grammar.
The irony of someone espousing the educational benefits of PBS via an e-mail which shows, at best, a disregard of English rules of grammar and, at worst, a complete ignorance of aforementioned rules made me giggle. Thank you for refusing to edit that. Your [sic] the best! :heads to bed giggling:
Ang - I would be glad to answer those.
1. When gathering with family we’d prefer if the television would go off, but depending on where we are…it tends to be a backdrop. There are many of us that don’t care for that, but others who do…so what can you do?
At my parent’s house, sometimes after school, my mom and I will visit in the kitchen and I’ll let the kids watch cartoons in the living room.
2. Neither Kenny nor Meredith seem to be getting much of the “Did you watch…” (Pre-K and 2nd), but Emelie does. She gets frustrated sometimes, but only because sometimes people say, “YOU DON’T HAVE TV!! How do you LIVE?!” I believe she’d like to have more freedom in the movies we allow her than in TV shows though - kids seem to talk more about movies than TV shows.
3. We use family discussions and tools off the internet for Current Events. Internet, Newspaper, etc… can often help tackle those subjects with more ease, in my opinion.
I grew up without television and I turned out fairly normal. Relatively speaking, hee. It’s so not the end of the world not to have it.
I remember all too well my peers wigging out, but there was a part of me that quite liked being different. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, but it seemed to work for me. I got good at sarcastic comebacks, “No! I don’t! Oh no, how will I ever survive without knowing what’s going on on Who’s the Boss?!”
That shut everybody up.
I’m 52, no kids - I turned off the tv (cable or satellite) several years ago. I do watch some shows I like on my computer. I “read” the news on the internet which gets rid of the obnoxious banter of current anchors. Between work (I’m a contract programmer - database), house (1 br/1 bth on 8 acres), pets (large dog to walk about with), reading, just sitting quietly and enjoying my home or the front porch - I don’t miss tv “shows”. I do use Netflix for some shows and movies. I’m always cautious about commenting about kids since I don’t have any, but gee, seems like you are teaching them to value their time and their family - kudos! When I travel and see tv - I never think I’m missing anything and generally turn it off in favor of a book…
I’m not a fan of TV shows in general, but I really believe my husband would shrivel up and die without it. I am trying to instill the joy of other activities in my kids, and we greatly limit their TV time. We didn’t have “TV” when we were first married, and I loved it. Bug watched movies, and things got done.
Good for you both for doing what you think is best for your family and not caving in to peer pressure. It’s a very good lesson for your children.
And I just noticed the new OMSH at the top and bottom. They made me LOL…love them.
I honestly don’t understand how families, particularly working mothers, have time to watch ANY TV! I get movies from Netflix, and it took me two weeks to find time to squeeze in the last one. And we don’t even do any activities (lessons, sports) outside the home yet!
We’ve had TV (stations) for brief periods during our 7-year marriage. There are 2 or 3 times I’ve wanted it. The first one was for September 11th. They didn’t have CNNLive on the internet back then. The second is actually twice a year - for my church’s semi-annual conference, which is broadcast on TV in Utah. We can sort of get it online, but it always cuts in and out. The third time was for Steve Irwin’s memorial and Terri Irwin’s interviews. But I watched it all on YouTube and my parents recorded the memorial for me.
I think many of the people on here would be very surprised if they took a break from TV. I was VERY surprised at the difference in commercials over five years.
Again, I am so glad that you posted this. This is something that we have chosen to do as well. For the 15 years that we have been married, we have had TV about 4 of them.
I was at a friends house, and she has a 3 month old. Whenever he gets fussy, she sticks in a baby video. What is that all about? Poor kid is already addicted to the TV. If anyone stands in front of him or the TV he cries. That. just. isn’t. good.
We have tv, but the adults in the house rarely watch it. We’re too busy!
It always amazes me how people think with no tv, we’ll have no idea what’s going on. Like we haven’t watched the news in a good 7 or 8 years.
My son and his wife don’t have a cable bill. They watch movies or tv shows on DVD.
We turned our cable off, mostly because we wanted to save money. Having cable wasn’t high on our priority list. We do get the over-the-air channels, like PBS which has some good kids programs still. Our kids are young, so it’s not as big of a cutural issue yet.
What I have noticed though, is that it makes us as parents more involved in our kids. We play a lot more than we used to, since we don’t have the TV distraction.
We had cable when Ally was young, and she was hooked on Elmo before she turned 2. Anya is at that age now, and recognizes him from the clothes and her diapers, but is completely un-interested in watching and Elmo movie. I can only see this as a good thing.
laughing at the first post.
the addiction to televison. the reaction that comes from the bystander when they learn you don’t watch televison programs. unreal. my husband has said on many occasions.. it’s like a drug for the masses.
Our dish is the family channels. Even some of them are questionable. We actively watch three of them. No, four of them. The fourth is the local news channel for the weather in our area.
the informed reader who thought it was appropriate to chastise you for your decision on how to raise your children..shame on them.
Do you mind if I introduce a rabbit trail? This reminded me that I’ve been meaning to ask you if you would recommend a particular filter for the internet, to block inappropriate images.
I had to laugh at that picture of Kenny watching TV at your mom’s b/c we have a similar occurrence here, and we joke about it all the time. With our first child, I really tried to enforce a no-TV-around-her policy. Hubs didn’t really like it b/c he is a TV junkie. Always has been, always will be. But, we tried really hard. Now, 8 years later, she is the one that is drawn to a TV like a magnet; she gets completely mezmorized, and you practically have to talk into her ear to get her attention. It’s crazy.
When my 2nd one was born, I found myself in a situation where I had one under 2, a newborn, recovering from a c-section, a brand new house full of boxes, in a new area, and hubs had just been unexpectedly transferred across the country for a new job. I was on my own for 6 months. Did I use the TV? You betcha. Only PBS (which I agree with you has changed considerably in the past 5 years — there are shows on PBS I don’t let my kids watch). Anyhow, I don’t make any apologies for it. I was on my own, struggling to get by in many ways. Under the circumstances, if I needed 20 min. to myself, or needed to take a shower while the baby slept, then so be it.
Two more kids later, and yes, we do watch TV. But, it’s limited; I approve of shows that they watch, and I’m pretty strict, much to their chagrin. No Hannah Montana or any of that stuff — completely inappropriate for 8 year old girls.
We find that our first, who was TV-sheltered, is fascinated with the thing. The other 3 who have had it around them (not all the time, but selectively) really could care less. They easily walk away from it to go play, read, do artwork, whatever. But not number 1 — she gets sucked in.
Side note — I can’t believe people send you emails like that — and not just the grammatical problems! The words and the tone. Discourse I support, but let’s keep some civility in it.
I think you’ve made a great decision for your family.
We have cable tv in our home. We also have several screen rules and the kiddos can only watch parent-approved programs and then only after all homework, chores, daily reading, etc. is done. This system works for us right now, but who knows what the future will bring?
Aileen’s experience is interesting. My kids are addicted to DVDs, but I wonder how this will translate to TV when they get the opportunity to watch it. When they were smaller and would watch TV at my mom’s house, they didn’t understand it! They didn’t see why we couldn’t just start the show over and watch again.
I wish I could be as brave as you to outlaw tv in our home. I’m addicted to too many shows, we have Tivo, so I watch when I can. Our boys watch only “parent approved” shows, and not many of them. I wonder what a week without tv would be like here… Should we try it????
Hey Kristin - I think the 4th week of April is National TV Free week. Um…if you’re looking to try it for real.
Oh my, my, my to that first response. I believe I made a slight audible laughing noise when reading it!
I do applaud your efforts and convictions with the no cable t.v. rule. We did that for a while but not any more. We could live w/out it but do enjoy it and I have no guilt nor do I feel criticized when I hear someone else talk about how bad t.v. is. I do agree in many ways.
Anyhoo, we only allow parent-approved shows and a one hour limit per day for our daughter. I only watch 45 minutes during my morning workout and we enjoy a movie or two once every week or so. We do rent from Netflix and I am cool with all that but can honestly say that I think yours is an excellent decision. Who’s business is it to worry about how you raise your kids anyway?
Now I know what a bad parent I am. Just last night, I found all of mine parked in the middle of my bed, watching RENT. How inappropriate is that? Especially the 10 and 8 year old.
OMSH–Is American Idol over by then?!?! :)
Kristin - Bwahahaha! I have no idea. I watched the very first one - what was that 4 or 5 years ago?
wow, it’s amazing to me that people are so free with their opinions and judgments. i think people feel threatened by anything different like this, because they think it implies that you believe what you are doing is better than what they are doing. so their defenses are up from the beginning. fox and i don’t have a TV, and we never have. our baby is only 6 mos old, so it’s not about her, necessarily. we just don’t want to live in that kind of consumer-driven mindset. and it’s lovely! we watch movies on our laptop, get our news online, and avoid all the commercials and the trash out there! more people should try it. :)
Gee, Katie, I wonder why on Earth people would think you believe your way is better.
We have satellite, but limit it for the kids. Matthew and I are too busy to watch much TV, but he is a sports nut and I like one or two shows.
I see no harm in your way of life at all, sweetie. Kudos!
Steph - When I saw your comment come through my feed reader, I wondered what I had done wrong this time. Were you responding to the Katie in the comment right above yours, or to my comments (earlier on the page)?
What’s a TV station?
*wink*
I applaud you also.
Just because I’m on my period and might cry if a fight breaks out on my blog…please remember it is rated G for “GENEROUS”.
Off to take some midol.
Super kudos to you. I’m very anal about what my kids watch - I tivo four shows (Peep, SuperWhy, Jack’s Big Music Show and World World) for them and they can choose one while I cook dinner.
On weekends, they may get to watch a couple or a movie. That’s it. My 4-year old is very sensitive so no news either. At night, we too are reading. We might play Wii as a special treat for very good days too.
I admit that once they’re in bed, I watch my Office or FNL though. And HGTV- I’m an addict. :(
Often I wish I could get rid of my cable, just to see what it would be like, but it comes with my apartment so it’s always there tempting me, especially the Scrubs reruns!
I don’t even know if we had cable when I was little, because we were only allowed to watch PBS. Generally our TV time was pretty limited, although when my mom was pregnant with my little bro, she was sick all the time, so I think I watched the kids lineup on PBS almost every morning. She said she got worried when I was two and could always tell her which show would be on next. ;) Despite others’ concerns, I’m pretty sure your kiddos will turn out just fine. =)
Also, I totally agree with Loralee. ;)
Add some dark chocolate to the Midol… honestly, I think they ought to just make them chocolate-coated, as it would save time.
We’re truly TV-free… the TV set we’ve had for 12 years died before Christmas, and DH hauled it out to the trash, after we found out it would cost more to fix it than replace it. So now, in the spot that formerly housed the TV, we have the reptile terrarium. (And, with the reptile terrarium out of my kitchen, I now have 48 inches of counter space, rather than 30 inches, which is lovely.)
We watch programming (DVD, on-line, Netflix), but I’m too cheap to pay for cable service. We like skipping all the commercials, and choosing what and when we watch.
The cool thing about public broadcasting and other such stations? They put out DVDs. My library buys them. I check them out. Happy me.
My kids don’t watch TV at other people’s homes, as they’re too busy playing. My family considers it rude to have a TV on while visitors are over, so that’s not been an issue. When the older kids (now 11 and nearly 9) get questions from peers about TV, they are fine with saying, “We don’t have TV service.” Because we don’t have TV, we read a lot. Individually, and aloud as a family. It’s cool! Though, having read quite a few interesting books that Disney has “movie-fied”, my daughter is convinced that “The Mouse Screws Up Everything” with adaptations… she prefers the books to the movies for most things.
I, too, have had angry responses to my No TV stance, mostly from people at church, of all places. I’ve had to be very careful to explain that I don’t see it as a good/bad issue; for me it’s a CHEAPSKATE issue. :)
When we first got rid of our television/cable…whatever, it was monetary too.
I’m enjoying reading to all the responses.
If we ever did have cable/whatever…I think TIVO is the way to go. Skip commercials, and only have the stations recorded you want.
BUT I just HATE putting money into the hands of those producing the crap. If I could hand pick my stations - I would certainly be happy to pay ONLY for what I want.
I sound so very only child right now.
i guess i need to clarify my comment. i think when someone makes a choice, they make that choice because they believe it’s the better, or best choice. so, yes, i do believe it’s a better choice to be TV-free. but that doesn’t mean i think I AM BETTER than other people who haven’t made that choice. and that’s what i meant in my first comment - often, people think that you think you’re better than them somehow. when fox and i go to our parents’ house, we sit and watch TV for hours - not just because that’s what they’re doing, but because we get sucked in so easily! HGTV, TLC, Discovery, etc…. so, we have decided not to bring that temptation into our house. and we really like our life so much better without it. it’s the same reason we don’t buy sweets - because i can’t resist them. :)
We don’t “do” t.v. either. I had wanted to get it out of here when the kids were little (they’re preteen and teen now), but my husband wouldn’t hear of it.
We live at the foothills of a mountain range, and we don’t get reception unless we have “bunny ears” (or cable.) Well, the one we had got broken, and we’ve never replaced it. As far as cable…my kids get to watch some at the grandmas’. Frankly, we’re too busy with school and activities to sit around that much. We do watch movies - love my Netflix. :-)
The thought of canceling the cable has been in the back of my mind for a while now. My kids, ages 5 1/2 & 2 1/2, do watch TV but I closely monitor what they watch. We also have a TiVo so we record stuff and that’s the majority of what they watch. There’s not a single show on TV that I watch with any regularity and I don’t think Hubby does either. The only thing I make a point to sit and watch is tennis. I love tennis. And we do watch other sports throughout the year: baseball, football, etc. but it’s impossible to JUST pay for sports channels. Boy, I wish. And if we could get live coverage off the internet of these events, I wouldn’t hesitate to cancel the cable.
Since that doesn’t seem to be a possibility, I’ll just continue to use the OFF switch on my TV as necessary.
I am a complete TV addict, but I think it is great what OMSH and her family are doing. As for PBS shows, it isn’t the content that is bad — it is the medium itself that causes us to be impatient and unable to sit still and read a book anymore. I’m sure there is a direct line from the fast cutting of Sesame Street of our childhoods to the fast-paced editing of music videos.
I have been TVless for over 2 years now. I still watch some shows (The Office) online and I spend a LOT of time on the computer.
I don’t miss TV for the most part. I didn’t realize how much time people spend talking about it until I got rid of it, though. Sometimes I feel a little culturally cut off, but there is a lot of the culture that I don’t want to be part of anyway.
The first comment was killing me, too.
Gosh, I admire you. My sister hasn’t allowed TV for her son until he’s three.
Mike and I don’t have kids (although we are trying for one) and we’ve decided (and, obviously, this is subject to change) we’ll let our kids highlight the TV listing (2-3 hours a week) and then we’ll look at what they’ve highlighted and approve it accordingly. We’ll have a TV in our room to watch once they’re in bed. It’s a system I really like, but, obviously, it’s just a made-up system until we get the chance to implement it.
I’m inspired by you and I very much respect this choice. And, heck, the way the Aggies have played the last four years, I don’t know if I’d pay to see their games in my house either ;)
We have three TVs in the house: one in the livingroom and one in each of the kids rooms. Each TV has a dvd player and a VHS player attached to it. In the boys’ room there is also a Gamecube hooked to the TV. In the girls’ room and the living room we have hooked up “bunny ears” for the purpose of receiving PBS stations (Jane Austen series on Masterpiece Theatre, anyone?) We have a LARGE collection of television shows (BBC and TVLand types) and movies on DVD and VHS. We choose to add to this collection each month rather than pay for satellite or cable.
I’ve started letting the girls watch four shows on “cartoon day”: Carebears, Strawberry Shortcake, Cake(a kids’ crafting show), and Horseland (not a favorite of mine but they are HORSECRAZY around here).
Most days I don’t turn the TV on all day long, but when Hubby gets home something from BBC or the era of classic TV goes on. I have been letting the nearly-two-year-old watch a few shows on PBS if I need to distract him. I find I’m much more productive as a wife, mother, and homemaker without the distraction of TV.
I would also like to add that for years I wanted an AMERICAN GIRL doll, but never got one. Upon reading your post a while back I managed to make it to the AG store in Dallas, and the one in Atlanta; my girls had a very merry AG Christmas this year. And now someone is using the catalog as a birthday wishbook… ;)
Kudos to you.
We’ve gone through television and non-television periods in our 25 years of making a home together. Right now we are pretty happily settled in a non-TV period; I don’t see us going back anytime soon. Like you, we live in an area where we can’t receive broadcast television stations and, when our cable bill reached $65 per month 3 years back, we felt we just couldn’t justify the expense anymore. When it costs that much, you begin to feel guilty for not watching *more* tv!
We do use our television set however. We’ve had a Netflix subscription for almost 2 years and it allows my husband to get his fix of off-the-track documentaries and films. We also make extensive use of our city library, with its large catalog and online reservation features.
Our kids do watch tv when they are with friends or at Grandma’s. They are completely normal :)
I like getting most of my news from the internet, the radio, and sometimes newspapers. I can more thoroughly research the items that interest me and follow their developments, and skip those that don’t. I’ve never been better informed.
It’s interesting how choosing to opt out of something considered “normal” can freak out a good deal of the population. Keep up the good work, Heather!
KatieI…KatieA…oh heck. I give up. It was to the comment above mine, and no one’s in “trouble.” I’m just all about irony lately, wherever it pops up. I’m as bad about it as anyone else…”I don’t have an opinion on whether or not you breast- or bottlefeed, but I breastfeed because it’s the right thing to do.” So I grin a little when I see other people do it is all. :)
KatieII…I agree completely. When we make choices, of course we think that’s the best choice. If we didn’t, we’d make a different choice. Well, I’d hope we would. I just had to grin a little because so often, I say similar things…and I, like you, don’t think *I am superior. But more often than not, my big mouth (or hands?) gets me in trouble because I don’t say what I *mean really. :grin:
Our neighbors have only the local networks, but a large TV on which they watch movies. We have yet to upgrade our small/old tube TVs, but we do have DirecTV, mostly for suports. When our neighbor’s one son comes to our house, he turns into a ZOMBIE in front of our TV, and often the only way to get is attention is to literally stand in front of it. They don’t mind if he watches at our house, but we all agree it’s good they don’t have it at theirs because it’s like some magnetic attraction between him and the TV. (He’s in 5th grade.)
Oh, and our kids love to go to both of their grandparents’ houses to “visit the satellite systems”… At least it makes for easier babysitting for them, but it can be a pain to get them to come home.
We have satellite service and a DVR, and it’s one of the best tools I’ve ever owned. We watch more TV than I’d like right now, but we tend to go in phases. My husband would probably have the TV on every waking moment, just as background noise, if it were up to him. It was an issue early on in our marriage, as I hate “background noise” and would probably only watch a couple of hours of TV a week, tops, if it were totally up to me. We’ve learned to compromise. :-)
Growing up, we didn’t have cable, and we always used to give up TV for Lent (the six weeks before Easter). I do like TV, but I could easily live without it.
Wowie! Way to start a deee-cussion, Heather.
I admire you guys and your stance on cable. I wish I had the (looking for the right word) determination? to follow in your footsteps.
Unfortunately, I just LUUUV my Fluff TV. At the end of a long hard day, Grey’s Anatomy, Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model (or pretty much any show involving a model whose biggest stress is a Bad Hair Day or a chipped nail) is my friend. I love to plop down and unwind.
Not to say I don’t read. I read. I love to read, I’m telling you!! (Hee.)
But I am trying to cut back on how much tv time Sophie is allowed to have. It’s hard though, because man, there’s no easier way to clean a house or get a project DONE than to sit your three year old in front of Sesame Street and have them go into a quiet Boob Tube haze. When I try to clean and leave her alone to just “play”…oh man, all of a sudden it’s Fun-With-Lotion time. Serenity now.
But good post. It inspires me to be better (as do so many of the things you say).
P.S Love the feedback from the Bad Grammar Wackadoo. Good stuff!
I don’t think we will ever be a “no TV station” household, but I do wish that we could turn it off more and maybe even have a few nights without it completely. My husband has this awful habit of walking in a room and immediately turning the TV on, just for the noise. I am perfectly content to sit in silence or listen to music and only turn the TV on if I am really in need of a TV fix or I have something specific I want to watch.
Is there a grammar show to be seen on PBS, because I think somebody needs to watch it!
I didn’t have cable (or local channels) growing up either, and I had absolutely no problem with it. It was fun watching those shows at friends’ houses, but I was never embarrassed about not having TV.
When I got married, my husband and I decided not to get cable as well (or local), and we have not regretted it at all. We do netflix too, which is really fun, and we are definitely on computers a lot (at work or home), which is how we get our news as well. And I agree w/ the previous commenter who said how it’s nice not having to listen to news anchor banter. I can’t stand watching the news because of it.
I was at a relative’s house for Thanksgiving, and their TV is on CONSTANTLY. I thought I was going to go insane. The only time I felt like I wasn’t about to run out the door was during Man Vs Wild (good ol’ Discovery Channel). Anyway, I find it odd when people don’t understand what other people do when the TV’s not on. Like you said, normal and productive stuff.
Katie - You’re entitled to think you’re better by choosing something you feel is right for your family. Hey, I think I’m healthier than others for not choosing to smoke or drink alcohol. I like being able to disagree (not that I disagree with this discussion in the least!) and still say, “Hey! we can still be friends, get along” even if we happen to think each other’s choices are wrong.
But I suppose that’s a whole different topic ;o)
Bethany Actually - I so agree! I love our TiVo, it allows us to record programs for the kids, fast forward mind numbing commercials, install parent locks and timers. I also love the TV Guardian box my parents have, it edits out your choice of bad words and phrases so even if you wanted to have “Friends” on while you were cooking dinner, you wouldn’t have to worry about little ones overhearing anything wildly inappropriate.
We didn’t have TV growing up, or at least, not year-round… Mom liked to watch winter football, so she’d bring the TV into the house between Thanksgiving and the Superbowl, and then out it’d go. Didn’t own a set in college, either. So, adding up all the TV Opportunities I’ve had in 34 years, it’s about 4 years, total.
Talking with DH, he’s not ready to replace the TV set. He’s decided he wants to get a big flat-screen computer monitor instead, as we can watch DVDs and online for some shows we enjoy, and not be huddled around this ancient 15″ Huge Monitor Thing anymore.
Jill-GlossyVeneer–about the only way for people to get used to something else is to remove the first option… so, making a deliberate choice to NOT turn on TV is helped greatly if there’s a deliberate choice to turn ON something else… like a favorite music CD for background noise instead. We found some great on-line “radio” stations at Live365.com, and that’s a great background buzz without having a TV on.
OMSH, you’re not doing an “only child” thing with wanting Selective Cable Packages… I’m the oldest of seven, and I’d be interested in the same thing… but then I’d never get anything done, not if I had a cable package with a steady diet of BBC, home improvement, cooking shows, and documentaries. I’d be a couch potato. Big time.
I am a tv mom, but I am not sure I can even comprehend what the email author means. How can your decision be BAD in any way? Seems like a great decision to me. Its not necessarily what I do, but I respect you for it.
lots of LONG replies here! I remember the TV post, and I am in a similar boat here. I applaud you for answering the Q & A. I often get similar questions from people. Just tonight I told someone that I turned the TV on for the first time in a week today, because The Boy had off school and asked if he could watch a cooking show. (We only get one local channel) I don’t think the benefits outweigh the other things he would be exposed to. It’s a choice, one I made and am sticking to as well.
I just can’t stop…great discussion!
Neil’s comment REALLY hit home: it is the medium itself that causes us to be impatient and unable to sit still and read a book anymore. I’m sure there is a direct line from the fast cutting of Sesame Street of our childhoods to the fast-paced editing of music videos”
there is the thing that I find often segregates me - I CAN, DO, LOVE and NEED to “be still”. I now find it hard to sit in front of the tv and have all the “stuff” coming at me in fast bites.
I don’t often find people who can enjoy being “still” with me.
We’ve had anywhere from three to five tvs in our house at any given time. We watch them a lot, but we also read a lot. And talk a lot. And cook together a lot.
I have a couple of friends who have made the decision to do what you do and are happy with it. There have been times when we’ve limited tv either for discipline reasons or because the viewing time or program selections have gotten out of hand.
I remain amazed that people who don’t know you, or who do for that matter, feel it’s appropriate to judge this decision you’ve made.
You are a patient woman, Mrs. OMSH.
Wow, good for you! We do have a tv, but try to limit screen time. I notice that we started to spend more and more time in front of it. So we turned it off for a week to see what we really, really missed. Turns out, not much. So the current rule in the house is: tv only when it is raining outside and has been for several days. Otherwise, find something creative to do. Our library sees us often. :-)
Just found your blog through sk*rt.
Good. For. You!
“y’know…what a typical family does when they aren’t watching TV.”
Good answer :)
I recently got my cable turned off for the pure reason I could not justify paying this bill every month while struggling to pay my astronomical gas and electric bill, but I am so glad I did it. My kids now actually play. You know with toys. The tons they have in the toy room. The room that is devoted to nothing but toys. It is so fun to be standing in the kitchen and instead of hearing the television and nothing else, I can hear my children using their imaginations while playing with their doll house and barbies in the next room. Good for you. Wish I would have done this long ago.
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