It's been about 6 months. 6 months since we said goodbye to something that was once an integral part of our household. 6 months since we liberated several hours of our time each day. 6 months since we permanently turned OFF the TV!!
I know, it's freaky. It's crazy weird. But we've done it! It all started with the parenting classes we attended in the spring. The speaker, Carlene Tanner, challenged everyone to try turning off the TV over the summer and promised that we would be glad we did. She was right! We no longer watch TV and remarkably, it hasn't been a big deal. At first I was sure the kids would revolt and begin forming picket lines, but instead they went outside to play. At first I was sure I would die of boredom every evening when I couldn't unwind with my favorite shows, but instead I read some great books. At first I was sure I would not be able to handle life without "House" and (gasp!) "American Idol," - - - sniff, sniff - - - okay, so I'm still dealing with the emotional ramifications of this momentous decision.
I'll admit it. We did turn on the TV to watch General Conference, and we tuned in a week ago to the Presidential Debate, but that's it. I swear.
So how do we cope without TV? Well, the rule is that the kids are allowed to watch one movie a day. And yes, this rule gets broken. A lot. But we're workin' on it. Brett and I also enjoy watching movies on weekends. Netflix I tell you. It's the wave of the future. We have also encouraged a lot more reading and playing! It has been wonderful. I feel like our home has been freed from the overwhelming garbage and filth of television. Now, this is not to say that all TV is bad, or that you are a bad person if you watch TV, this is just the decision our family has made. And it's working well for us!
Now let's discuss movies. Movies can be filled with just as much, if not more, trash as television. We have started to become more selective in our movie choices, but it can be hard. It's hard to find good, wholesome movies. Once in a while we come across a movie that we just love, and I'd like to share them with you. So keep an eye out for upcoming movie recommendations, right here on Munchkin Garden. I'll be reviewing movies that Brett and I watch that I would recommend to anyone. *Disclaimer #1: Now we all have our own opinions about what is acceptable and what is not in a movie. So if you watch a movie that I have recommended and it isn't quite up to your standard, I apologize right now! I'm hopeful that this will not happen though. I promise, I'll just be sticking to the really good ones. *Disclaimer #2: Not all movies that I suggest will be acceptable for children! I happen to be very selective about what I will allow our children to watch. If I find a movie to be appropriate for children, you can pretty much assume that it's extremely tame. I will always note whether or not a movie is acceptable, in my opinion, for children. (I define "children" as ages 10 and under.)
So, keep an eye out in the future for my movie recommendations! I've got one in mind that I plan to post soon. It's a really good one!
4 comments:
Amen and amen, sista! It is a very liberating thing to be free of TV. We still watch the occasional movies as well, but when I do see a TV on it is amazing how assaulted my senses feel from ALL the garbage that comes flying at you! We aren't going to upgrade our 1998 Sanyo we've had since we got married when TV goes digital. Goodbye for good - not even PBS for us. AND Netflix is a gift straight from Heaven! Love it!
Jamo is getting so big! Sitting up and with hair! Goodness! We had a similar "not dirt incident" with Eli in his bouncer, except he was wearing footie pj's and bouncing vigorously. Let's just say "Ewww!"
I'm assuming you don't think I'm crazy anymore for not having TV!!! Yay! I try to go with a 2 movies per day rule with the kids. One morning and one afternoon during the times when they are most difficult like when I'm fixing dinner. My videos are mostly just 30 min. so it works out to be only 1 hour of TV a day! I just started getting netflix movies too. I like all the choices they offer and it's a great price. I realized I don't like owning many videos because the cost really adds up and I only want to see them once a year or less. Netflix is perfect for being able to see tons of different movies for cheap, and it's mighty convenient too!
Hey Angie...I'm one of Teresa's old roommates and was checking out some of her links. We too have not had TV since we moved from the "big city." Before we only got stations that we could get from bunny ears, but our new place of residence is no where near a TV station. We mainly stopped regular "TV" viewing because we are too cheap to pay to be inundated by commercial. We do splurge on high speed internet and do all of our TV view on-line. Tons less commercials and we can watch at our leisure. We also love our netflix and the clearplay dvd player is wonderful to cut out all the crap. Anyhow. I think its great that more and more people are tuning out and giving their kids some quality time.
You are so brave! I would love to follow suit...kind of! I'm addicted to "House", too! Oh well, we'll see if we can muster the courage.
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