5 Months and Counting: A Family with No TV

Five months ago, my husband and I made a seemingly bold choice-we cancelled our satellite service and said goodbye to television. With stressful lives and three children, television was a way to escape, relax, and tune out from reality for awhile. But instead of being a leisurely, sometimes activity, it turned into a semi-constant necessity. The kids tuned into their favorite programs as soon as they woke up, watched them through breakfast, and wanted to keep watching instead of going to school. Our toddler would want to watch his favorite shows while I cleaned, did laundry, and worked, and as soon as naps and school were over, they wanted to watch some more. I got glued to certain shows and recorded them, courtesy of the free DVR we got for signing up for satellite, and proceeded to watch them in the afternoons and evenings. My husband would come home, and upon putting the kids to bed, we'd both sack out on the couch, glued to our favorite programs, stopping to pause the action for a snack or bathroom break and conveniently fast-forwarding through the commercials.

What had once been a fun activity had turned into a constant part of our lives. I started to realize that my conversations were more and more revolving around fictional characters played by actors I've never met; my children whined when I turned the TV off and set viewing limits, and even my toddler was screaming at me when I turned off the TV. I had reached my breaking point; it was time to cancel TV and live in a TV-free household. I didn't want to be the kind of person that only talked about the latest shows and season finales, and I didn't want my kids to grow up with stunted creative potential because all they could do was mirror what they saw on the screen. I felt like the box in our living room was just making noise and hampering our lives, so I called up the satellite company, calmly explained that it didn't matter what kind of deal they offered, I was done with their services. And when the box for my equipment came, my husband packed it up, and we sent it off without fanfare. It was if a weight had been lifted from our house, and instead of a chorus singing, I heard the sounds of sweet silence.

The weeks that followed were hard on all of us. My kids complained that I had taken away their favorite shows and that they were bored. My husband was lost without crashing in front of his favorite channels after work. And I missed keeping up with the latest reality show drama at night while dusting and folding laundry. It was like substance withdrawal, and though we weren't writhing on the floor and whimpering, there was a bit of a pall cast over the house in those early days.

But about three or four weeks into my little experiment, the tide began to turn. The whining was stopping, and instead of the kids complaining, they automatically went to their toys and games instead of sitting on the couch reaching for the remote that was no longer there. They sat on the floor and played board games together, they colored and painted pictures at the dining room table, and they built fantastic creations with their blocks and Legos. I started listening to more music and podcasts from my favorite radio shows, or just savoring the silence at naptime. My husband and I talked more, and we had more family time together. All of these things had been present before we canceled the TV, but now they were a more prominent part of our daily routine.

Today, we have struck a comfortable balance with technology that works in our current family situation. During the week, the TV stays off completely. And since this has been the rule for five months now, the kids no longer ask about it. It's not a struggle anymore, but just a way of life. On Friday and Saturday nights, the kids get to pick either a movie party (where we make popcorn and watch a DVD), a Wii party (where we take turns competing with fun Wii games), or a family game night with favorites like Sorry, Monopoly, Yahtzee Jr., or Blokus. On special days off or dreary Saturdays, I sometimes allow an extra DVD or some Wii time. And as for me and my husband, we chose our very favorite shows that we enjoy watching and view them on the laptop for free. This has turned into a fun date ritual for us; we put the kids to bed, make some dinner or get takeout, and watch our shows together. I don't miss the other shows I used to watch just because they were on, and the ones we do watch, we really enjoy.

For me, the best part of all of this is the positive growth I see in my kids. Their attention spans are longer, they're better able to carry on a conversation, and their pretend play is filled with dialogue made up by them and not parroted from a TV show. They play together more often and with less arguing, and their creativity is being nurtured more frequently. Down the road, we may get a converter box or something similar to have basic television once again, but for now, I really enjoy not even having the option. It been a great vacation from media influence, and I love the peace it has brought to our household. For our family, it's been a truly positive experience.

For more, check out:
How To Cancel Cable and Watch TV For Free
Educational Board Games for Kids