to get rid of the T.V?

[DeliaRose]

I' sick of staring at it TBH. I've just cancelled Sky (£70 a month saving!!), and I'm going to put the tele on Gumtree.

DH is cool with it. Not sure how the DC will feel (6, 3 and 1)

The Playstation and Wii are going too.

Please you issue at the time wasn't the lack of TV but how it was handled ie you knew you wouldn't be able to watch X program and when it was gone it was gone. there was no way you could watch it the day after! It also meant 'negociations' with siblings I suppose.

But now, especially with the iplayer etc.., the dcs can have a different choice, watch the first program one day and then the second later on. I can have one dc watching the computer for 20min on their own and then the other watching something totally different for anoter 20min whilst the first dc is in their bedroom.
It doesn't have to be so restricted that the dcs feel they are missing out (I know mine don't).

YANBU! Mine went nearly a year ago and I've never looked back! (Though my daughter has her own little dvd player)

But smug, "ruins", really? My two are extremely active. Up at 6 everyday we walk, go swimming, do crafts, read, play, bake, etc,etc. They are 6 and 2 and both are very bright. And in all honesty a bit of tv after tea before their bath is actually what they need. So I thinking mist things in life, it's fine in moderation. Which is why I think the blanket statement "tv ruins kids" a nonsense.

I just want a block on CBBC on the TVs and on every computer in the house. It is as others have said just DD2's default activity.

I had no tv as a child.

Was slagged off at school for being poor.

Couldn't join in any conversations about popular tv shows/characters

Watched tv voraciously and chance I got as it was such a novelty/treat and still do.

I think limiting screen time is a great idea and I should really start doing it but getting rid completely could have social consequences for the wee ones.

Just do it in moderation YABU.

Many programmes are educational and informative. Children can learn from watching documentarys and news programmes.

YANBU to limit the amount of crap they watch, but you are being unreasonable to deny them the ability to learn.

Whats the difference between staring at the TV and staring at a PC

We haven't had a proper tv for four years :)
We have a small easily portable one that lives in a cupboard - a couple oftimes a week they/we watch something. Arthur/inspector gadget DVDs are the current favourite. I have a DVD collection!
It works for us :)

My DH grew up without a tv and literally (meant as the word actually means!) cannot have a conversation when a tv is on in the room. So embarrassing when we go to my parents or our friends who just have it on in the background. HE just stares at it and genuinely can't concentrate or hear anything someone says to him and seems rude.

I on the other hand was brought up with limited tv in my bedroom - 1 hour a day after homework but the tv was always on downstairs (on a channel i wasn't interested in) I can completely ignore the tv if it's on, sometimes don't even notice its on.

Please don't get rid of it altogether I think you'll regret it. just filter what people are watching.

Its a bit smug really all this but we don't have a TV

Tbh I find the internet/pc's/macs whatever suck both me and dc's in much more than the TV. If forced to give something up I would go for TV, because really I barely even watch anything these days, nothing I couldn't happily live without. Cut off my broadband though, blimey I would be lost.

I think the internet is far more distracting and addictive than TV, it's interactive and basically infinite for a start.

YANBU, get rid of your TV, but replacing it with a mac is . I have to force myself to read books again, too used to wasting time fannying about on the internet. I'm sure the whole family would benefit if we just cancelled the broadband, but there would be uproar.

Nnnnoooooo don't do it, think about how the kids will feel.
My kids would hate me if i did this-why not just limit your usage instead of throwing it out?
See what you mean about sky though-£70 bit of a rip-off if u ask me !
We only pay about £45 , how did you get to paying £70?

These threads make me laugh , there you are complaining about staring at a screen while you are posting on a screen

We have the computer + desk set up with no traditional tv. There is a dvd player plugged in as well though. It makes us all focus on what we specifically want to watch rather than lazily watching. The biggest plus is no adverts, it makes a big difference and ds1 doesn't want want want anymore. We've also just got rid of his wii and ds because they do negatively affect him. He got the money for selling/trading them in though because it is not punishment.

Having Internet and dvds is no way like having no tv, but it does solve the watch any old thing problem.

My dc really truly aren't that bothered. They spend about 30
mins a day Internet/DVD and don't seem fussed.
They complain that friends who watch a lot if tv don't know much about interesting stuff/poor ability to play properly. Two kids they know in particular can't cope without tv or games console being on.

I do think op that replacing a tv with a mac is odd. Ditch the screen altogether and have a laptop that you can hide - out of sight out of mind is definately true in this house!

My dcs had unlimited TV , they could take it or leave it .

It wasn't something special

I don't actually watch TV much and never really have since leaving home. The last time I remember caring about a programme enough to watch it was Ashes To Ashes and that was about 3 years ago; I might put it on sometimes and flick through the channels but usually end up on the happy-shopper-MTV ones by default. DS would rather watch his DVDs most of the time (though what he really wants to do most of all is go online and look at maps of subways and light railways...) But I wouldn't like not to have one in the house: there might be something I want to watch on it, or that DS wants to watch.

solid i LOVED Ashes to Ashes and Life on Mars as well. Best things on tv in ages they were.

We ended up disconnecting our TV so that we no longer have to pay license fee etc. We just hook the PS3 up to watch DVD's and Netflix.

Going to be interesting as DS grows up and starts hearing other kids talking about what's been on TV.

We haven't got a telly, games console or computer in our house. Join us! It's aces.

Your kids don't watch much TV (an hour a day), so that's clearly not the issue.

You and DH veg out in front of it of an evening & he does at weekends. Tell him to man up and turn the bloody thing off instead of depriving the kids of it as well.

God I would love top, DSD already thinks it wierd i can sit in silence and enjoy it, OH and I cuddle up on the sofa after she is in bed and enjoy the peace after disney lol

If you don't want a telly fine, but please don't start attributing all your kids good points and everyone elses kids bad points to this one factor! The vast majority of people in this country have television,many of them produce well adjusted,clever,well behaved children,shock horror!

We have a TV room. Only go in there if we want to watch the news or something like Eastendersan eductional show