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We've got one TV at our house. Its big, but its only one. I kinda like the IDEA of forcing everyone to balance their TV time and interests and compromise, but in truth, the pecking order goes like this: Dad, Kids, Mom. (I'm not a TV junkie, but hey!)
My question is how do other households out there share TV time? Are we just hopelessly out of date? Am I naive to think this can have a character-building outcome?
We're thinking about getting a new TV and cable for XMAS, but I am having an inner debate about bringing more TV viewing into the house. Wondering if we should upgrade and toss the old TV, or keep the old one somewhere obscure, or even if we should even get cable at all.
OHHH I just had a HUGE talk (or debate) with my husband on this. We have a big huge plasma TV in the living room. And a Small 27 inch TV in our room for bedtime.
My son USED TO BE allowed to watch Saturday cartoons in our room, and it would give us a nice break in the mornings to drink coffee and read the newspaper.
But my husband has since decided it's "OUR" room and my son needs to respect our space. So he is now no longer allowed in the room.
BUT BUT BUT NOW he bugs us all the time!! He's a single child and COMPLETELY bored. I knew this would happen. He comes to me to find entertainment (his toys in his room only last so long) AND WHERE IS MY HUSBAND????? PARKED in front of the PLasma TV watching either Football, Sports or Poker. SOmething that NEITHER me or my son want to watch.
He's always asking "When do I get MY turn?" I have to TiVo everything I want to watch and wait for my husband's "Boys NIghts Out" to watch my shows, and because he's such a couch potato does not happen often.
I'm totally tired of that damn TV on ALL THE TIME. But we have a very small house, and it's on with my husband in control of the remote constantly.
I have no help for you
I just want to tell you - I liked life better when my 6 year old gave us an hour break every now and again (he's not allowed much TV) and now it's driving me batty
Um...I would try and make a schedule of what t.v. shows everyone likes to watch at certain times and from there asign everyone their designated t.v. watching time when their shows are on.
It's rather difficult to imagine only having one t.v. in a house though....I have 6 in mine
We just have one TV and no cable but there are only 3 of us. During the school year my dd can only watch TV or videos from Friday to Sunday and she's really only interested in Saturday morning TV and Netflix videos. We watch them with her or do something else while she's watching. We save our "grown-up" movies for night time and either explain that it's scary and she won't like it or that it's otherwise inappropriate. She'll usually stay in her room and read during those times but we rarely do that more than twice a month.
My dh and I hardly ever watch tv and don't watch sports on tv at all. He does play video games and sometimes he plays when she wants to watch a movie, but it's really not an issue. Usually she'll just play with him or wait til he's finished.
I say stick to your guns if you don't want another tv. Personally I hate tv, but I know that's not what this thread is about.
It's rather difficult to imagine only having one t.v. in a house though....I have 6 in mine
Wow....I can't even fathom the thought....do you ever even see any of your family members? How do you all communicate w/ each other? It seems like this would encourage isolation, imo.
We just have one TV and no cable but there are only 3 of us.
Personally I hate tv, but I know that's not what this thread is about.
Horray....We have always only owned one TV, and we have never had cable....ever...we have three kids (11, 8, 5).
There are sooo many other things to do in life than "waste your brain" (as my middle child says) watching tv.
Although, I must admit, my 11 yo son is like an "addict" with all electronic devices....he's somewhat ADHD, which I think has something to do w/ his need for external stimulation.
We set firm limits in our house for all "screen time"....tv, computer, game boy, etc (haven't bought x-box, etc and probably never will).
OHHH I just had a HUGE talk (or debate) with my husband on this. We have a big huge plasma TV in the living room. And a Small 27 inch TV in our room for bedtime.
My son USED TO BE allowed to watch Saturday cartoons in our room, and it would give us a nice break in the mornings to drink coffee and read the newspaper.
But my husband has since decided it's "OUR" room and my son needs to respect our space. So he is now no longer allowed in the room.
BUT BUT BUT NOW he bugs us all the time!! He's a single child and COMPLETELY bored. I knew this would happen. He comes to me to find entertainment (his toys in his room only last so long) AND WHERE IS MY HUSBAND????? PARKED in front of the PLasma TV watching either Football, Sports or Poker. SOmething that NEITHER me or my son want to watch.
He's always asking "When do I get MY turn?" I have to TiVo everything I want to watch and wait for my husband's "Boys NIghts Out" to watch my shows, and because he's such a couch potato does not happen often.
I'm totally tired of that damn TV on ALL THE TIME. But we have a very small house, and it's on with my husband in control of the remote constantly.
I have no help for you
I just want to tell you - I liked life better when my 6 year old gave us an hour break every now and again (he's not allowed much TV) and now it's driving me batty
LOL!!! Yes... Its coming back to me now... the poker tournaments, college basketball, Yu-Gi-Oh, Drake & Josh.....
I think I remember why we got rid of cable in the first place!
We just have one TV and no cable but there are only 3 of us. During the school year my dd can only watch TV or videos from Friday to Sunday and she's really only interested in Saturday morning TV and Netflix videos. We watch them with her or do something else while she's watching. We save our "grown-up" movies for night time and either explain that it's scary and she won't like it or that it's otherwise inappropriate. She'll usually stay in her room and read during those times but we rarely do that more than twice a month.
My dh and I hardly ever watch tv and don't watch sports on tv at all. He does play video games and sometimes he plays when she wants to watch a movie, but it's really not an issue. Usually she'll just play with him or wait til he's finished.
I say stick to your guns if you don't want another tv. Personally I hate tv, but I know that's not what this thread is about.
Thanks.
I think I am realizing I'm not resistant to an extra TV, but to all the crap on cable. Problem is, dh wants his cable back. Maybe we can set it up upstairs away from the kiddos or something.
We had only one TV for a long time, theres 5 in my family, the kids are 13 9 6. Then, when finances got really tight, we dropped cable..then, the unthinkable happened, and our TV died. We went for almost 8months w/o any TV at all. I loved it! lol Im not a big TV fan anyhow, my biggie is movies, but the rest of the family was in shock. lol Then, they all found other things to do. (except the husband, he found links on the computer where he could watch his tv shows sigh..) anyhow, flashforward to a couple months ago. I inherited a tv. A 72inch. sigh. but you know what, the kids arent really into it at all anymore. They all watch Kid Nation, my daughter watches Superman w/her dad, and thats pretty much it. I guess its just not that interesting to them anymore. kinda weird how that happened, but Im not gonna complain. Neither will my husband who sits quite happily in front of his new big screen and could watch tv all day long. .....and he wonders why his belly grows....lol
anyhoooo, Id suggest making up a list of who really really wants to watch what show and go from there. We did that when the big tv arrived. I was all set too w/daily and weekly time limits for each kid. The biggest prob we have, is its no fun to ground them from it if theyve been bad! lol
good luck!
Tiffany
ps, if you're looking at getting cable, why not make it a family decision? Say "Okay, cable for one year costs this much... so we could get cable, OR we could get/do (your answers here) and see what the family votes for. Just a thought..
Haven't had a TV in 3 years or more. Don't miss it at all.
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