Just realized that I never updated you all on how our TV-free summer went. So, here you go!
First, did we really not have the TV in the house the WHOLE summer? Yes!!! I am very happy to say that we officially made it through the summer months without having the TV hooked up. Instead, it hung out on the top shelf of our guest room closet.
Second, did we really not watch any TV all summer? Well, no, not really. We had two exceptions. One I had foreseen, the other I had not. First, when we were visiting people and family we were in homes that had television, so of course we watched some. That was sort of outside of our control (at least while still being polite! :)). The other exception though, was when we got sick. We fought a nasty virus on and off for over a month. On the rougher days, I let the kids watch the Berenstein Bears on Youtube. I especially utilized this when I was feeling really crummy and my husband was out of town for a week and I had NOOOOOOO help with the kids. I reached my limit and took the only help I had. And I didn’t really feel bad about it. At all ;).
In the same vein, this no TV summer experiment really brought a few things into focus for me. I used to think that kids wanted to watch TV all the time. Not so in our house. The truth is, I was the one thinking about TV a lot. I never realized how much it’s me that turns it on and offers it to our kids. It’s because I need a break from working or entertaining kids, not because they need or specifically want to watch it. With no family close by and no outside help with our kids, it’s hard to NEVER have a break. This experiment showed me how and why we watch the amount of television that we do… It’s not necessarily bad or good, but it’s really helpful to understand the why behind it.
So in a nutshell, this summer experiment was actually much harder than I thought. I’m not sure if we will ever try this again. I think that moderation with a plan would be a much better summer alternative. As in, maybe one movie per week in summer and 2-3 episodes of a favorite show per week…that sort of thing. We’ll see what next summer brings.
Great post! I definitely want less tv in my house.
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Thanks! It’s definitely an ongoing effort to find balance, watch less, and live more!
I realize this is an older post, but we haven’t had TV for about 20 years. Like you said, not that we never see it, but it’s not a part of our lives. When people say what do you do, my usual response is Live. Then I ask, when do you have time? 🙂 Hope it’s working out with your family.