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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

We don't have a TV in our living room anymore. AIBU?

184 replies

mrsm43s · 08/06/2018 23:26

So many people think its weird!

We have plenty of tvs in the house! Our bedroom, upstairs spare room, plus everyone has a tablet or a phone or a laptop or some other way of watching TV if they want to.

We don't have a tv downstairs.

AIBU to think that the days of everyone round the telebox to watch mindless crap are over?

TV itself is fine, but its OK to not make it the centre of your life and family!

OP posts:
Bitchywaitress · 08/06/2018 23:30

Yes!!! YANBU.

I want to get rid of ours but DH likes to play games on it. I would rather just have a sound system as I like the room to look pretty for entertaining and big TVs are ugly.

Much prefer watching TV on our huge screen in our big comfy bed.

When I'm rich we will have 2 sitting rooms. A messy snug for DH with big screen, and an formal room for me and entertaining.

Sinuhe · 08/06/2018 23:31

OH and me had this exact conversation today! We are planning to refurbish our living room and where debating if it was sensible to ditch the TV if favour of an extremely comfy armchair for me. I prefer reading to TV and miss having a dedicated space since DC's turned up.

happymummy12345 · 08/06/2018 23:31

I can't stand tv's in bedrooms so i refuse to have one in there. Ds is nearly 3 so far too young. No spare rooms. So we just have one in the living room, where I or we always sit.

Bitchywaitress · 08/06/2018 23:37

I think back in the day families would watch TV together. Now with all the choice of multiple channels, streaming, Netflix etc etc does anyone really do that anymore??

To me TV is a solo activity or sometimes with DH for a film or box set. Therefore bedroom is better for us. We personally never watch TV in the living room.

Batmanwearspants · 08/06/2018 23:38

I do think it’s a bit sad that everyone watches telly separately. I know tv was hardly the most social activities but it feels like society is becoming more and more isolated.

Dragonlight · 08/06/2018 23:39

Nope, not BU. We don't have a TV at all, haven't in years and don't miss it.

Floralnomad · 08/06/2018 23:40

We watch a lot of sport here and it’s much nicer to watch with other family members , it’s not just mindless crap on TV

RaininSummer · 08/06/2018 23:42

Agree that staring at the box isn't the most social thing but if it is being replaced by everybody in a household individually looking at screens that can't be good. Getting rid so that people can enjoy reading, music, games or conversation sounds good though as a living room tv does dominate things.

Singlenotsingle · 08/06/2018 23:43

Friends of mine had a policy not to have a TV, as they thought it was bad for the DC. The DC just sneaked off to friends' houses and watched TV there instead!

RavenLG · 08/06/2018 23:48

I can't stand tv's in bedrooms so i refuse to have one in there
Same. Much prefer one in the living room than bedroom.

Timeisslipingaway · 08/06/2018 23:48

When we moved when I was younger my mum and dad decided that they weren't having a tv in the living room. We didn't miss it, we all had the in our bedrooms. They have one now though.

Timeisslipingaway · 08/06/2018 23:49

When I loved to my own house I didn't put a tv in my bedroom. Still don't have one 8 years later.

Witchend · 08/06/2018 23:51

We don't have a TV. As you said you can watch on tablets etc.

It used to be a great game when we had friends with young children round.
Children wouldn't believe that we didn't have one, so we'd ask them to find it. They'd be happy looking for hours.

Davros · 08/06/2018 23:56

DH and I watch TV together a lot and 15 year old DD regularly watches with us too. DD also watches on her laptop away from us but I almost never watch TV other than on the big living room telly, never on a device

Stinkbomb · 08/06/2018 23:57

Won't allow tv if DC bedrooms.
Main tv in lounge so we can watch tv or films together.

welcomething · 09/06/2018 00:04

It's a little odd that you prefer to separate your family to watch TV than to sit together in the living room.

If you had said you got rid of the TV because you don't watch it at all i would understand, but it sounds like you have got rid simply so the family can't watch together

Mollie85 · 09/06/2018 00:04

Live on my own and haven't had a tv for 10 years. Everyone still thinks its strange .... I just never watched it.

So if it suits you not to have one d/stairs, its not unreasonable :)

Notso · 09/06/2018 00:07

I'd rather have a TV in the living room than all be sat on different devices either together or in separate rooms.
We don't have a TV in our bedroom though, 18 year old DD does but none of our younger boys and they dont have laptops/tablets in their rooms either.
Its nice to snuggle up on the sofa together and watch a film or something.

Candyflip · 09/06/2018 00:07

I don’t think it is strange to not have a TV in your living room. I do think it strange that you have one in all the bedrooms though.

Stillme1 · 09/06/2018 00:08

I have tv in the lounge but none in the bedrooms.
I know someone who has tv in the lounge, and in each bedroom. They rarely use the lounge or the tv there. Food is made in the kitchen and then each person takes their plate into their own room. The adults and children never seem to be in the one room or even interact with each other. I find that quite sad really and even a bit lonely for people to be apart from each other in the same house.
I know that we are each entitled to our own choices so maybe all this separate living is the new family and I am a bit of a dinosaur.

SaucyJack · 09/06/2018 00:08

Another one here who'd rather have one single screen in the lounge for the family to watch together.

MarklahMarklah · 09/06/2018 00:12

Hmm, I don't know.
We only have one TV. It's in the living room and it's a fairly small screen. DD watches some of her stuff when she gets in from school. DH & I watch later in the evening. Occasionally we'll all watch a film together.

JaneJeffer · 09/06/2018 00:15

We don't have TV's in the bedrooms. One in kitchen which is mainly used for gaming and one in sitting room. We sit and watch it Gogglebox style.

SleepingStandingUp · 09/06/2018 00:22

My DS is only 3 so if he didn't get telly in the living room with me, he'd have no other way of watching the joys of CBeebies.
DH agreed to not pour one in our bedroom and DS can have a telly on his when he can afford it.
I look forward to us being able Rio watch movies as a family, and have happy memories of watching movies, documentaries, certain series with my Dad growing up

MumofBoysx2 · 09/06/2018 00:27

It's not weird, of course! We have a TV in the living room but that is because we have kids into the PlayStation, so in order to monitor what they're doing we don't allow screens in their bedrooms. We have one in the kitchen and another in the snug. None upstairs though. We don't all sit and watch it much - when a new DVD is out, or occasionally Netflix. Otherwise it's pretty much taken over by the kids for games/YouTube.