One Year Without TV: Will We Go Back?

Over a year ago, my husband and I made a momentous decision: we were going to cancel our television service and live without TV for a year. We decided to wait until after Christmas and start the new year fresh. So in January, I braved the customer service rep for our satellite company, explained for what seemed like one hundred times that yes, we did want to cancel no matter what fabulous incentives they wanted to throw our way, packed up our equipment, and had no other options but snow on our screen.

Since we had three children at the time (we now have four), the decision was met with some resistance (read: loud whining and protests). Instead of being able to wake up and choose a favorite show from the DVR to watch while eating breakfast or after school or before bed, the kids had to find something else to do. At first, it was difficult to break the pattern. We were met many times with sulking faces sitting on the couch telling us, "we're bored." But it was precisely this dependence on electronic entertainment that we wanted to do away with, so we just kept suggesting other activities, like games, artwork, puzzles, and other toys. It took about a month for the questions about getting TV back completely stopped, but the reward was a much more peaceful house.

Now, instead of turning to television to counteract boredom, my kids can entertain themselves in a variety of ways. In the mornings before school (my kids are early risers), they draw, build with play dough or blocks, play games like "Uno" and enjoy other toys from cars to dinosaur figurines. They had always enjoyed these things, but now that TV simply is not an option, they gravitate towards more creative play to fill their time, actively participating in their world instead of passively observing. I have also noticed that their attention spans are longer, they are better at having conversations with others, and they don't have to be told how to use their free time. These changes have been a joy to watch, and I'm thankful we encouraged them by canceling our TV service.

I will say, however, that our family does enjoy TV and movies, and my husband and I aren't against television. We enjoy being able to tune out after a long day and watch a show. But what we didn't like was the constant presence of TV in our home and all of the commercialism that came with it. So, about six months into our experiment, we decided to join Netflix, which turned out to be a wonderful compromise. Now, we're able to watch TV shows and movies through our Wii on certain days, but we're not bombarded with all of the latest and greatest of consumer culture. For just a fraction of what we were paying before, we can enjoy some entertainment together as a family, but on our terms. As for current TV, our kids have no idea that they're even missing it, and my husband and I catch a few of our very favorite shows on the internet every week for free.

So will we ever go back to television service? Not anytime in the near future. We don't miss the commercials, the expense, and the all-too-available mindless entertainment. A few months ago, when I was in the hospital having our fourth child, I realized just how little we were missing, especially for the money we were paying. Between labor and recovery, I was there for over 48 hours, and all I ended up watching were cooking and home improvement shows. There was just nothing interesting on, and I was bored (thankfully, I had a brand new baby to keep me occupied). We have discovered so many fun activities as a family, that I can't imagine paying for a service that would hamper that. Our world is so media-centric as it is, I don't want to add to that in these formative years of development for my children. So while I am all for entertainment in moderation, canceling our television service is one of the best things I've ever done.

See also:
5 Months and Counting: A Family With No TV
How to Cancel Cable and Watch TV for Free