People that don't have tv's

[Moominfan]

Teach me your ways. My toddler has broken my tv. We only own the one. I think he's thrown something at it and cracked the screen. Past three days not really missed it myself. There are times when I plod the toddler in front tv to make dinner, phone calls ext. that's the bit I'm struggling with. I'm going back into education on Monday and trying to see this as a positive. End of day it's so easy to just plod myself down when I could be doing other things.

I used to work with a bloke who boasted about not having a telly, made out he was oh so high brow and had a massive library at home. It turns out he watched quite a lot of TV - including Eastenders - on his iPad.

I realise the OP is not saying this of course.

DS2 launched something at our tv and broke it recently as well so I feel your pain. We've got the teeny tiny one from upstairs down now, it looks and sounds so weird.

And back in the day (old gimmer here) tv watching was a communal event.

The whole family sat and watched the soaps, and the dramas and the comedies and the Sunday film. And talked about them. And talked about them at work and at school. It was a connection to other people. A top show could have 18m viewers. Never happen now.

They didn't sit in separate rooms keeping themselves apart.

My dad hasn't had a TV for over twenty years, when I went home from uni we used to go for walks, go to the pub, read, listen to the radio(the was before smart phone , Netflix etc). I still love the radio now and would chose it over our telly. Pre dc we used to only rarely have the tv on, dp used to play guitar and I'd sew. Test Match Special is great and there are loads of good podcasts about.

Most people who say they don't have TVs still use screens. There are parents who don't have any screens at all, but they are rare.

I am not the person.to ask I am afraid. I watch a lot of TV. Yes a lot.is Netflix, Amazon prime etc but I like having s main device in the sitting room, where I can just turn it on and watch in comfort.
We have two, one for DSs playstation in the back room with a smart TV so he can watch films etc and one for me with our sky subscription and all of the on demand channels
Many people.dont have one nowadays though so I am sure you will.ger.some good advice.

I haven't watched live TV for years, don't have a TV license and have no desire to pay for one ever again. We do have one television in the living room but it's primarily for my DC's sake. They enjoy watching Netflix, Prime and Youtube. I'd gladly live without one, I prefer watching my Macbook in bed.

As a teenager I loved listening to the radio.
For a small child, try and involve him in what you are doing. So cooking, give him a bit of bread to spread margarine on - tell him it is for dinner. Get him to wipe the table with a cloth. I know making dinner will take a lot more time though.
Phone calls are harder. You could see if he likes washing windows though with some spray water bottle and a cloth. Or talking on a pretend telephone while you are on the phone.

And watching Netflix is watching TV.

We use a projector (from a raspberry Pi) in the lounge and we use a laptop or tablet as a portable tv so when we're in the bedroom/kitchen.

I would rather a TV where we all watch together and on a larger screen than everyone sat squinting at small devices ignoring each other with ear phones in...

Most people who 'dont have a tv' do have a tv. A tablet, laptop, phone or pc and they watch on their. If anything that's worse. Bad for your eyes

Agree with others a tv in the lounge can actually be quite social. There is absolutely nothing sociable about binge watching series on Netflix in separate rooms.

My DC are now horrible shallow people who can't speak, whereas before they were quite nice and able to converse.

Well that’s nice then.

Agree with others a tv in the lounge can actually be quite social. There is absolutely nothing sociable about binge watching series on Netflix in separate rooms.

I think this goes double or triple for kids' TV. If everyone is watching it (or at least in the room while it's on) then it can spark a conversation or at least just a little in-joke or whatever (the little dance you always do to the theme tune). A kid watching on a tablet isn't going to have any human interaction at all.

I don't have a TV or any streaming services on my laptop but everyone is telling me to get something now as my son will be labelled as the weird one at school for not having a TV.

In primary we had a really religious girl who didn't have tv. She was bullied by myself included ashamedly...fast forward to now and she has a very successful science based career and I'm going back to education to study science funnily enough. She's had last laugh.

And seems I can't spell either 

Meant to say she was bullied and excluded by everyone, myself included

Stopped watching TV about 6 years ago

We don't watch any Netflix or streaming services

We got given a TV as a present and I do sometimes watch a DVD on it but not often

We stopped watching it cos we'd watch any old shit

We don't have a TV - nor any of the streaming alternatives either. I don't even know if my laptop is equipped to support it.

We stopped when the switch from analogue to digital happened as the rarely watched TV was so old ( 1984) it didn't even have a suitable socket for a set top box and I just never got around to buying a new one.

I don't watch podcasts or you tube either.

If you mean what's as good as a tv at keeping a toddler quiet with no screen involved - then nothing

There are lots of things that can keep a toddler absorbed but not as easy as tv.

I'm trying to reduce the amount DD watches. She's often happy with a squirty bottle and a cloth to clean windows, or a bowl of water and a potato to wash! Not as easy as tv tho.

Otherwise, there are loads of books, and I keep a well-stacked arts and crafts cupboard.

I wonder how many times you say that to people in a day

You don't own a TV? What's all your furniture pointed at!?

Sorry I had to 😂😳

The sheer quantities of channels and various streaming services means there isn't much of a mass culture of people having watched the same series at the same pace anymore as there was 15+ years ago. Major events such as World Cup semi finals just about draw in what was a regular audience to a soap 20 odd years ago. The DCs don't tend to talk about TV, more youtubers. It's not the feeling of missing out experienced in the 90s when your mum is too snobby to allow the horror of Australian soaps on at teatime

Watching TV on a small hand held screen is essentially watching TV. I suspect the people who live free of watching any kind of streaming and films at home is very low.

I do find the big screen in the corner more sociable than personal devices. I've been watching The Handmaid's Tale, and it has drawn DH in and sparked discussion which wouldn't have happened on the tablet. DS has discovered he can now watch youtube on the TV and it's now actually less annoying! The sound quality is better, not that infuriating tinny noise punctuated by yells of overexcitable Minecraft players, but also I'm pausing to watch it which is good for monitoring, and it's getting me asking questions about something that my brain tends to gloss over.

CBeebies was fantastic until age 6. CBBC doesn't grab their attention so much, we're on a CITV phase at the moment which is just time filler really.

Left to my own devices, I'm a radio person and the TV only goes on for a couple of hours late in the evening and not daily.

I grew up with no TV and was teased a lot at school by students and grilled by disbelieving teachers who would assign us to watch PBS shows now and then. They’d assign us to watch Christmas Carol or something and write a paragraph as home work. I’d have to tell them that I couldn’t do the homework and get told off for lying or told to ‘just go to a friends house’ (when I lived 3miles from anyone and my mom had no car). I worry about that for my kids once they reach school age.

I don't have a TV. Moved to new house with no aerial, so didn't bother.
I used to sometimes watch Skygo, with my son's log in. But windows 10 doesn't like skygo, and so I didn't bother with that.
Then I used to sometimes watch DVDs on my laptop, but the disk drive broke, and so I didn't bother with that either
I do have an Odeon Limitless card and go to the cinema 2 or 3 times a week. I read a lot of books and at night I listen to audio books until I fall asleep.
When my granddaughter comes round, she does lots of colouring, building blocks etc and we put audio books on for her too, although I admit if my kids were small it might be a bit more difficult.
I have not missed TV at all, and, though my son (who does not live with me) moans about the lack of facilities, I have no intention of getting one any time soon. He said that his daughter would be bored without a telly, but tbh, she hasn't even noticed yet that I haven't got one.

Haven't had a TV for 20 years. My DCs sometimes say they would like one but they can watch Netflix on their PCs if they really want. I hate the way the box beams dross into your living quarters, hate the way everyone stares at it, hate the noise from it. Totally happy not to have a TV and don't think I could bear to share a house with one now.