To think there is nothing actually wrong with watching TV.......

[Miaowing]

.... and for wondering why people get so snobbish and holier than thou about it.

DH and I are in our 50s and childfree by choice. We do stuff but we also watch a LOT of TV. Mainly box sets, movies and sport.

I read a lot - he doesn't but he never has. He's not a book person.

There is nothing IMHO wrong with watching TV yet on here it seems to be a badge of honour not to own one or to be so high and mighty that its beneath you.

In real life I do't know anyone like that - which does make me wonder how there are so many on here.

There must be something wrong me as I quite enjoy all the ‘cops with’ and ‘border patrol’ shows!

I have a family member who has announced several times that she doesn't even own a TV as if it makes her in some way superior.
She watches a huge amount of boxed sets and has Netflix. She has seen many, many more of the big series of the past 10 years than I have.
She watches it on a laptop though so that makes it intellectually superior

Pink that's properly funny 😄

I am honestly puzzled - not judging, really curious - how people find so much time to watch tv though.

My local parenting group is full of posts: "what to watch now? Already watched... long list of current shows". Don't people ever sleep? How do they cram so much tv every day, that's what I am curious about.

Well yeah, I do think that being active is a bit superior to watching TV

Why? Obviously you have a hierarchy of things you would judge others for doing in their spare time.

I can't bear TV as background especially as my parents have it - loud!
I agree with whoever said reading a book on a kindle is judhed as bad even though its reading a book. But that is to do with confusing messages imo, if we're asked how long children spend staring at screens would you include reading a book on a kindle or not? I honestly wouldn't know!
And my ds spends hours playing away from a screen... He has a projector so projects his x box game onto a white wall. But it's not a screen so all wholesome eh?

I gave up because I just got so bored with what was on. Endless cookery/antique/property programmes.

Even potentially interesting documentaries were stretched out to make 10 minutes of material last an hour. The presenters also seemed to be more important than the subject.

From what I endure when I visit my parents, it seems things haven't changed in the last 10 years!

It's like anything anyone enjoys. If you enjoy watching it then fine if you enjoy knitting or reading or skateboarding do it. Each to their own as long as it doesn't get in the way of anything important like work, giving kids attention, sleep etc.. do it as much as you want 🤷

If it wasn't for Mumsnet, I wouldn't know that there are people who think that watching on a device that isn't a TV means you don't watch TV.

Contrary to what one of them said up-thread, I don't think the TV license rules make any distinction between TVs and other devices with screens.

YANBU, I think it’s weird to ascribe morality or superiority levels to different hobbies and pasttimes. You aren’t somehow more virtuous or interesting because you spend your time differently to others.

@SeriouslyEnoughAlreadyRantOver I work full time and find plenty of time for TV, home by 5.30, dinner cooked and eaten by 6.30. Perhaps some homework or chore of some kind 6.30-7 (have a cleaner and DH does laundry so not a whole lot tbh) I'm sat down by 7 usually, will read to the kids and be up and down a bit 7-8, but by 8pm at the latest I'm on the sofa (kids in bed by 8) and go to bed 10-10.30. I listen to audio books in the car and while cooking so don't read much these days tbh (but listen to 2-3 books a month though).

I do kind of wish I had a hobby tbh, but nothing takes my fancy tbh! More active on the weekends, but this is my week day!

I wish I was the type of person to watch more tv, I have physical disabilities and am limited to activities that I can do to pass time but just can’t settle, sitting in front of a tv in the daytime so it stays off until bedtime where I need the noise to go to sleep.

Haha @Pinkkahori I know several people like this who claim (smugly) to not own a television but then find out they watch all tv via laptop or ipad!
I like the social side of watching films/series and also to switch off and wind down.

I don’t watch a great deal of my own tv but ds and I watch a lot of films and kids tv shows. He’s so empathetic, laughs, talks to me about it and then it transfers into his play. He adores Toy story and Spider-Man and Super wings and plays happily with other kids and when we go places. He explores and he has such an amazing imagination. He was dancing to the greatest showman the other day. He’s just shy of 3 and while the tv is on most of the day it’s often background noise. We play and we talk and we draw.

I watched tv as a kid and lots of movies and it’s helped my knowledge of a lot of things massively. I’ve learned a lot!

I only watch master chef, bake off, apprentice, dragons den stuff like that. I don’t have time in the evenings as that’s when I do my work or go for a run or spend time with my husband when ds is in bed.

I’ve just left him chilling in front of Wall e and hoping he has a nap - my son can cock about for an hour before he gives in and it drives me insane!!

I watch very very little TV. Not because of a superior attitude but because I am asleep within minutes of turning it on!

It's an online snobbery thing. I once belonged to a forum which had a pets section. Nobody fed their cats on cat food because of the "rubbish" it contained. I don't know anyway in real life who does not feed their cat on cat food. I took great delight in saying my cat had always been fed on cheap cat food, and she was 23 years old (She died aged 24).

I think what you choose to spend leisure time on is completely up to the individual. And why do you really care what Doris down the road thinks of your to habits, surely if you're happy that all that counts.

Of course people who are active will struggle to understand sitting watching other people do exciting and interesting things, when they would prefer to actually do it themselves Or my hubby will never understand watching fake people live fake lives (soaps). But again it's the individuals choice.

I don't however think it's good to have an 18month old/ 2.5 year old glued to a tv. Yes it probably has its place as they get older if you use it to teach children, but there is nothing on a tv you couldn't teach a child without a tv. It's just a preference of how you do that.

My son doesn't watch tv at home, he does get to watch a bit with nana and pop on the visits with them, but not a lot.

I am honestly puzzled - not judging, really curious - how people find so much time to watch tv though.

Not everyone is out of the house all day, though. DH and I work full-time but we both have plenty of time to do what we wish. Most people only work 40 hours a week - that leaves plenty of time for hobbies, especially if you don't have small children.

i dont get home til 6, and dont sit down to watch tv til 9 or 8.30.
i dont see it has time wasting.
timewasting is mumsnet chat!

Most people only work 40 hours a week

only?

I watch loads of TV. Love a box set on prime or netflix. Plus l like the soaps and trash TV. My DP doesn't really like TV we will watch things together about twice a week . However we often work different shifts so when l have a day off alone l will binge watch. I don't care if people judge me l do plenty of other stuff. I have grown children born in early 90.s before tablets and smartphones. They watched TV alot sometimes all day. They seem to be well adjusted adults with uni degrees and jobs now. They don't watch terristal TV now just stuff online. Thier generations choice l think and they don't want to pay a TV licence🤣

Yes indeed Pinkkahori, I've one of those in my family. The smug "We dont watch tv (please ignore the 1,000+ DVDs and time spent on various channels' players)"

Their children weren't allowed to watch DVds or anything on a player though. They would go to stay in people's houses and become zombies slaves to the tv there! Totally transfixed (at a young age that is).

It was pure and utter snobbery. Considered themselves more intellectual for not having a TV (actually stated that).

I say was because said family member now has a TV so large i couldn't fit it anywhere in my house. Not sure what happened!!

I love tv I just struggle to find anything decent to watch that's suitable when my 9 year old is around. We watch 'the chase' and coronation street.

only?

Well, yes, only. A week is 168 hours. Subtract 40 hours for work, and 56 hours for sleep (assuming 8 hours/night) you still have 72 hours a week leftover.

Yes, some people have small children, or hobbies, or long commutes, but it's not exactly hard to see that you can have plenty of free time leftover each week even if you do work a full-time job.

Have to laugh at what others have said about the smugness and hierarchy thing. It's so true! I read quite a few books a month yet according to DF "But they're not BOOKS though are they?!" Because they are in a kindle and not printed on paper. I was unaware that the words, storyline and effort/time taken to read differs from the printed versions (audio books not included)

I find it hilarious that people can be smug about not owning or using a tv but do so on an Internet forum. Which of course mumsnet is the height of sophistication eh? No one can convince me that they merely spend a moment of their time glancing upon the AIBU section to pass the minutes between workouts/reading War and Peace/cooking everything from scratch including milling their own flour.
Nope. This crap here is your Coronation street. You're just as riveted to a CF parking thread of a person you have never met (and may not even exist) as someone is to Vera Duckworth having a go at Jack. (Disclaimer, I haven't actually watched Corrie since Jack and Vera were on it )