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

[mrsm43s]

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!

YANBU I wouldn't have one at all if it wasn't for DS & DH I never had one at all when I lived alone, cos I remembered DH recoiling in shock when we first started going out because he went to my large upcyled TV cabinet (the kind you shut the TV away) and opened it one night to find it didn't contain a TV but instead only contained a fish tank (for robotic fish (kinda like hexa bug)) for relaxation that lights up. He was mortified didn't believe I didn't have a TV and searched the whole house, then got worried and asked if I was struggling for money. It took him a while to realise I would rather be outside and not in front of a screen and couldn't really follow many programmes I get too bored.

Were awful, one in each room including kitchen and dh often watches on a devise in bathroom

We only have one tv and it’s in the living room. I can’t stand the idea of one in my bedroom and dd is only 5 so doesn’t have one- and I am going to try to keep that going for as long as possible. We have one iPad and I occasionally watch a programme on it in bed or in the kitchen if I’m cooking. We will watch a film or blue planet etc together.

It's not unreasonable, it's your family's choice OP. We have one in the lounge and one in the kitchen but I don't personally like them in bedrooms as the blue light does mess with your sleep. I'm sure I'll have trouble sticking to this when the DCs get older but I'll do my best

We have a tiny tv that is never on but have a snug room with a screen/laptop (not tv) and a ‘boys’ room with big tv and gaming equipment... it’s whatever suits you and your family 😀

We only have one TV in the house, and it’s in the sitting room. Having said that, it’s hardly ever turned on, so we probably could ditch ours too.

I like the idea of a space for another chair mentioned by a PP... hmm...might stick the TV in the dining room and then it’s available if there’s something on we want to watch, then make the TV area into a little library corner!

We have one, in the living room.

I like the social aspect of watching with someone else.

It’s up to you.

With regards to this thread though can I just say that I hate how snobby people are about TVs?

We ditched the living room TV but got a projector with a screen instead. By day it's just a book case so if you came to visit it would look like we had no TV, but by night it's like a mini cinema! The added faff of having to set the thing up means we never have it on for background noise. We only have it on when there's something specific we want to watch on a netflix binge or family movie night (or when DS(2) points at the controller and asks for 'Duggee' until we cave)...

Dh, dd (16) and I love tv, not ashamed of it at all. We’re all busy and active throughout the day and really enjoy our couple of hours together with the tv in the evening and yes, sometimes, when eating late or excited about a particular programme, we eat dinner on our knees in front of the tv!

So it’s sociable and relaxing family time; not iften you have much in common with a 16-year-old dd! We are v selective about what we watch - none of us follow soaps or are into Love Island but we do habe a soft spot for First Dates. Mainly it’s re-runs of favourite comedies, box sets, movies.

No tv in any other room - I guess we just associate it with shared sociable space rather than solitary activity. Dd’s never asked for a tv in her room and I can’t imagine ever wanting one in our bedroom.

So totally opposite to OP but each to their own.

I don't have a tv in my bed room and only really watch Netflix, but we love family film nights with pizza & popcorn with the children ages 3 5 10, and eldest loves staying up to watch an action film with me.

But I hate big TVs ours was very small until my PIL bought us a new 'suprise' one

I love the tv. If I would rather be outside (I wouldn’t) then guess what? I could just press the off button and go outside. I am also not ‘selective’ about what I watch. I watch what I fancy at the time.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer to be forced into getting up being active and finding other things to do instead
Except when you are staring at a tiny mobile screen watching something on netflix.

The virtue signalling on this thread is hilarious.
No one, absolutely no one, cares that you haven't got a tv.

Not having a tv doesn't make you a maverick. It doesn't make the chavs think you are well weird.

All it means is that you haven't got a tv.

Ours is only used for xbox, Game of Thrones when it's out and movies. We don't watch 'TV' at all generally.

I can see a lot of every day TV channels closing down eventually and our great grandkids will be like "What was Channel 5 Nanna?"

I only have one TV in the living room, I don’t like them in bedrooms. If I want to watch something in bed, I use my MacBook. Rarely watch the living room TV tbh.

Yabu to have a tv in the bedroom. Who are all these people who think it's weird And how do they know?

Romeo I think a lot of people still watch tv

My dc’s are 24, 12 & 9 and we all gather together to share tv / film viewing. The same tv is also what we use for the only games console in the house. This is how my dc’s have learned to consider each other, compromise and share living space. They are very close as a result. They all know full well why we arrange things this way and all enjoy the benefits.
There are other devices around so they can watch / play something else if they aren’t into what’s on the main screen but they tend to pop in some headphones and stay in the main room to do so.
Each to their own and all but i think it’s so sad that families spend so little leisure time together anymore.

Each to their own and all but i think it’s so sad that families spend so little leisure time together anymore.

Why would you think that families don't spend their leisure time together, just because they don't spend a lot of time sitting round watching TV?

What about playing board games together/going for a cycle ride together/cooking and eating together/days out together/walks together/shared interests and hobbies. So many other (and generally more interactive) ways to spend time together apart from sitting in front of the TV.

mrsm43s totally agree. But teenagers sometimes slip out of those other lovely shared leisure activities - my dd was a keen swimmer, loved walking, baking and cycling. Since turning 14, these have all gradually disappeared and become of no pleasure whatsoever to her. So if the lure of a tv evening watching a movie or lots of laughter watching a comedy is all we currently have, I'm happy with that! I believe that the other things may return slowly once hormones and other 'stuff' settles down.

I can't imagine why anybody would think it's weird to have a tv in the lounge or not. It wouldn't cross my mind to judge. Personally I'd find a tv in the bedroom 'weirder' if I had to have an opinion on it but whatever suits your lifestyle!

It is not unreasonable for you to have the living room just as you would like it with no television.
If there are complaints from your family then maybe consider how much time is spent watching the downstairs television. If they will miss it maybe reconsider.

However since christmas my son and grandson have lived here and he brought with them two large televisions and put them on the walls of each of their bedrooms.
Mostly used for gaming/ you tube. When my grandaughter visits there is sometimes echoes of peppa pig throughout the house.
The music of peppa pig drives me crazy, but we love the kids so it doesn't matter.
My son would like us to put a television downstairs in the second sitting room but we like to sit and watch the birds and squirrels that are in the garden with the kids.
They look at a big book of birds to try and spot and name some of them. Without much success from any of us may I add.

I can see you were keen to jump on that mrsm43s but I wasn’t suggesting that screens provided the only family leisure time. I just stated that it’s sad that so many families spend less leisure time together. It’s an observation I make of families I see all around me. Kids that go straight into their bedrooms and play a console several nights a week is really typical.

To add to my post above.
Meant to say that there was no television in the house before son and grandson moved in. We like the radio or just quiet.

Ah I get it - most of us watch mindless crap on a tv in our living rooms whilst your family watch mindless crap in separate rooms on tablets etc. Fascinating.

We do still do most of those other things but I'd still rather we all watched TV together sometimes too instead of sitting in separate rooms on separate devices.