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So I’m guilty—my kids watch too much TV. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends as much screen-free time as possible for kids under 2 (even the so-called “educational programming”), citing research that leads them to conclude that attention from Mom and Dad is what’s most important at that age.
I admit—sometimes the TV is on as a babysitter. A distraction. Particularly during those early days of being a work-at-home mom. I needed something for them to do that didn’t require much involvement from me so I could work without being interrupted ten times in a fifteen-minute period. I kept it on a channels like Disney Junior or PBS, so I didn’t feel quite as guilty about it.
But a few months ago, I decided to turn off the TV during dinner (particularly since it was just on as background noise) and my kids had full-blown conniptions. “Mommy, please!” they wailed. “Please turn the TV back on!”
And that is how I knew the kids had a TV addiction. Oops.
So this past week, after hemming and hawing about it, I decided we were going to have a TV-free week. No DocMcStuffins, no Dora, no Super Why. Just homework, reading, crafts, and other activities.
Sure, it would require more attention from me, but that’s part of the “Mom” job description, right? I could do this, no problem. The question was, could my kids adjust as easily?
The first day after they came home from school, they set up shop at the table to do some homework. I didn’t turn the TV on like I normally do. A big light bulb went off as I realized they got their homework done faster, they moved on to other art projects (my daughter made me a crown), and they got along much better because they weren’t fussing about who was standing in front of the TV.
The same thing happened the next day.
And then the day after that.
We went a full week without watching TV (except for my husband’s nightly MSNBC fix after the kids went to bed). And it was fantastic.
Without TV, I was more productive and I slept better at night. The house was cleaner and the kids weren’t snacking as much. I finally understand how some people say they don’t own a TV.
Will we continue this? I don’t know. I let them watch TV on the weekend and they didn’t even seem to mind that it had been five days since they last got to catch up with Dora. So maybe this will be an ongoing thing in our household. It certainly hasn’t hurt.
Now if I can just convince my husband to get rid of the TV in the bedroom…
How much TV do your kids watch? Too much? Do you think you could go a week without watching TV?
This post was originally published at MommyNoire.com.
First off, well done on having a t.v. shut down period! Our family began to do this a couple of years ago and it’s been nothing but a good thing. The thing we noticed more than anything was how much time it freed up. It was like the days got so much longer. In truth what was being revealed was just how much time we had been spending watching. It was a harsh reality but a great check on our family practices.
Our next step is cutting the cable and simply using Netflix and internet based applications since most of the kids stuff is on those anyway. We’ll see how it goes!
Thanks for sharing.
@Gary – Yes, I would love for us to get rid of cable. My husband is resisting only because of his sports addiction. I think we’ll give it a try in 2013 though. Like you said, all the shows the kids watch are available on Hulu or Netflix.
Where we live, we get practically zero TV reception. And my husband is pretty much disabled. So we used to have cable and full Netflix.
Then I cut down to the cheapest possible cable package—local channels only, for $12/month. And online-only Netflix, for $9/month. And surprise! The so-called local channels include waaaaaaaay more than just the major networks. So DH is just as addicted to TV as ever. ::sigh:: But at least it’s a lot cheaper!
Great job at having a TV free week. We do that at my home too, let our daughter play instead of watch TV. Now with our new addition, its been harder to get into a pattern because the TV has been on longer than I would like, but I know its only temporary (that and she starts tuning out the TV anyway).
We don’t have cable at our house, a decision that we made back in 2007. After getting cable back for about six months a year ago we realized why we got rid of it and cancelled it again!
We still watch DVDs now and then for relax time, or TV shows online, when my daughter just can’t seem to calm down (something that’s worrying me a lot lately, she’s a VERY hyper child). But all in all, I have noticed that we are a much more productive family when the television is off.
When my kids were younger the tv was on as a distraction as well. Though I love cartoons myself so I would watch with them. My ex husband was the one that kept the tv on after the kids would go off to play something else. He grew up differently than I did so it was hard to have quiet time in the house. Now that we are divorced and the kids are in school they don’t get a whole of tv time with me, I can’t say the same about when they are with their father. They do a lot wrestling, creativity with the legos they have, and drawings. When my youngest wasn’t in school all day we would sit and watch cartoons till lunch time. He is my snuggle bear and he loves Dinosuar Train and Jake and the Neverland Pirates, though it’s rare that he gets to watch it now since school has started. I grew up with only four channels of tv so the only cartoons I ever got to watch were those on Saturday mornings. I could and HAVE gone two year without tv. It’s a great thing to not have it on all day. Yes some background noise is ok but I would rather it be music than the tv. Anything can be good or bad, adjusting in moderation is the key. Way to go Tara!! I hope you can keep it up! My kids may watch the tv but we also watch movies when my dad isn’t using it for his GT5 races on his playstation.
I turned off the cable (actually it was turned off) 3 years ago. I moved shortly after that happened and it never occurred to me that we “needed” TV again. I turned it on again less than six months ago and many times the TV just sits there. My son watches it when he has some free time – after his homework or as a break from chores on the weekends. Otherwise it stays off. I’ve considered just turning off the cable again – and it may still happen. I’ll just have to ensure I have a substitute like Netflix, for example.