A TV-Free Home

[Flying Orca]

I grew up without TV, and so did my kids. You're doing the right thing. Two bits of advice:

1. They must read, read, read. What they read doesn't matter much.

2. Even if they say they have no homework, ask them to show you what they're working on in school, and go through it with them to make sure they thoroughly understand it. Working ahead of the class is even better, at least when it comes to sources like math textbooks.

[architype]

Everything in moderation and separate the educational from the junk.
My 12 yr. old daughter loves the show "How Things are Made", and so do I.

[amyFB]

I grew up in a limited-viewing home where TV was concerned. We were sent out side to play on nice weather days, and to the rec room on lousy weather days. If we didn't want to play with each other, we could always go read a book.

For a few of my early adult years (19-25) I tried to make up for all the TV I'd been denied as a child and I watched constantly.

Somewhere in my mid thirties, I dumped the tv completely, and got my passive entertainment 'fix' from movies on tape (at first) and later on DVDs and today I watch Netflix once or twice a month.

In today's child-raising arena, I think the other poster who mentioned hand held devices (smart phones, tablets, etc) has a good point about the role those items play in social and physical development.

I think about these questions, when the subject of TV comes up:
> how many kids are going to be adults with the inability to hold their head up straight because they're always looking down at their device?

> how many kids are going to be adults with short attention spans because they spend their hours training to swiftly respond to game triggers?

> how many kids are going to be adults with no ability to think for themselves because all their thinking has been done for them?

> how many kids will become adults with unrealistic expectations as a result of living in the as-seen-on-tv-or-internet world?

> how many kids will become adults who believe their every desire should be fulfilled because mommy and daddy never denied them a single thing?

I've probably posted elsewhere that I believe TV was the beginning of the end for the social development of the human race.

cheerios and all that!

[jpd]

Great plan to dump the tube it will bother you if you like to watch the "Big Sports Championships"......but then that's what local pubs supply

[MikeBmusic]

Have you disconnected internet (and smart phones) too? You can still watch TV on those - and kids today are spending more time on their phones than watching tv.
No doubt, kids growing up without television have the potential to be more educated and more-read (that sounds like bad grammar), but it can also leave them very unrounded when it comes to interacting with others - whether it be talk of the latest natural disaster from the other side of the planet or last night's ball game.

[Kitchen Guitars]

My sons Native name is "Dances with 4 screens". The kids would barely notice the TV missing because they rarely look up from their phone.

[mercy]

We had TV growing up but nowdays I cant find anything to watch but educational TV. In othere words paying for hundreds of channels and only a few are watchable. Additionally I really dont want to spend an hour watching frogs reproduce.
Cut your cable and add $2000 to your bank account that you would have paid for cable. If you must have TV buy a $50 antenna and thats it.
I recommend no internet use for children or for you cause you are a model. When my parents grew up the men smoked so the male children did too. Internet is more dangerous than smoking.
Yes Im using not abusing the internet but my kids are grown and out of the house.
Oh and cudos to the OP.

[Denny B]

I'm in the camp of "moderation"...

Kids need to learn to make intelligent choices as they grow...

How can they develop that skill, when they have no choice in something as simple as learning to view television responsibly?

I've always said, I wanted to raise trustworthy children, and I did that by demonstrating faith and trust in them as they grew...

[guitarjamman]

Originally Posted by Smitty70

Tell me why, that with all there is out there today, people still can't tell you who the picture is even when's it's of Hillary Clinton. Or can't tell you from whom we won our independence, or who we fought in the Second World War. What's happening to our school systems? I'm talking college kids too.

I don't know what type of people you are hanging around, but I don't seem to know many of those types. Yes there is a select group of people who chose to live their lives in ignorance, but I have a feeling that has always been the case. To say this is a new phenomenon would be painting a rather large brush stroke.

But to stay on topic, I do not have cable in my house (28 years old) ever since the wife and I cut the cord 3 years ago. Honestly the best decision I could have done....when we go over to the in-laws, they spend half of the night just flipping channels because its mostly garbage on TV. No thanks, I have people and guitars to tend to

[sweiss]

I have tvs all over my house. Love 'em.

There's more good, educational, informative programming than ever before. There's also more, and worse, garbage than ever before.

Television pretty much reflects society.....good and bad, so television isn't good or evil in and of itself. It's all in how it's used.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Flying Orca

I grew up without TV, and so did my kids.

I grew up with TV, and I turned out a treat!




What?

[sled]

Good grief...how will you watch "The Walking Dead"??? I think doing away with tv is over rated. Moderation is the key. You can learn a lot watching tv.. just depends on what you watch.

[rbock]

This is a timely thread for me. I've been on the verge of cutting cable and doubt there's much I'll miss. I still like PBS and a variety of sports, but I can get that with an antenna. Otherwise, I can always pick up a book or guitar, or AGF when I feel desperate for electronic communication.

[Andromeda]

There is nothing inherently wrong with TV. It can be used sensibly and mindfully or abused in sensibly and mindlessly. There are programs that are educational and movies and shows that make you think. There is also a lot of junk. I think it isn't an all or nothing situation and it is up to us to use it wisely.

[flaggerphil]

I find nothing wrong with kids watching tv as long as it's not used as a baby sitter. That's not on the kids, it's on the parents.

If someone wants to dump tv that's their prerogative. I remember when we got our first tv in 1956...there were restrictions on watching it. I placed restrictions on my kids watching tv and my kids placed restrictions on my grandkids watching tv. Those restrictions worked just fine.

I, personally, like some sports on tv and many non-network shows. So does my wife. We have no problems with tv at all. if one doesn't like something on it, one can change the channel or turn it off.

YMMV.