Do you have the tv on in the background all day when you are home ?

[IcandothisactuallyIcan]

I don't and my DH says I'm weird as whenever he gets home he puts the tv straight on.

So I'm at home with our nearly one year old all day. DH says I'm the only mum who doesn't watch daytime tv in the background whilst playing/looking after DD.

I didn't have the TV on with my older DS either, although he had daily some tv time everyday once he could focus on it (so from 18 months onward maybe.) My DS had a speech delay and my DH says it because the house is so quiet due to no TV. I of course I do talk to the kids. I do however look at my phone for texts and MN a bit , but try not to all the time, so I guess that's the modern reading a book whilst looking after the kids. He could be right that I'm unusual. I suppose I've never thought to have the tv on and only put it on for the kids to watch stuff. I hadn't considered having bargain hunt on whilst playing cars. Maybe I'll try it for lockdown 2, instead of going out and having occasional company.

I think the class thing might determine what you do based on what you think you should do, but whether you have Judge Tinder or Vivaldi on or silence is just about brains working differently. DH and i are both working class, altho he can't remember having ice on the inside of the window so he was warmer working class

DH does this and it drives me nuts. He sometimes has BOTH tvs plus the radio on, and then he has the door shut to his office (well its the play room, but at the moment its his office. My 'office' is the spare bedroom)
I can't stand the noise, but also stop using so much fecking electricity for no reason at all. Put the radio on in the office if needs be.

I watch the news if im reading or housework or mumsnetting

Dvd or streamed tv or the news (and mumsnetting 😳) if I’m sat with a coffee

Those bloody WC plebs watching TV all day, why can't they just listen to radio 4 like us far superior MC people.

No. Always have R4 on in the kitchen as background noise, the dog likes it too . I turn it up for specific programs then it goes back down to just burble along. I'll sometimes catch up on a tv program after lunch for 30/40 minutes before I go & collect the dc from school but not often or I usually read instead.

Yes, only BBC news channel. I think I know their schedule and like I know Martine, Simon et al.

I should say dc5(3) has started nursery this year so, after 10.5 years of always having at least 1 dc with me constantly I'm revelling in the 15 hours a week of quiet. Dh has just been put on furlough again & I'm a bit annoyed my peace is going to be shattered Although at least he will wield a hoover & cook

always have radio on in the background as it helps with ADHD

No, DH and I both WFH (him permanently / me due to Covid). It would distract us too much. I listen to Classic FM or yesterday I had CBS on my iPad on low volume because of the US election.

At the weekends, we only have the TV on if we are watching something, we rarely have it on 'in the background', we prefer to listen to music.. or..have nothing on at all

No never. I'll have spotify or radio on. I only put the TV on to watch something specific.

Never. This would drive me insane. I like the quiet.

@PineappleUpsideDownCake

So in houses where you say its "always on."

Dont you ever talk to each other? Have conversations? Do you turn it off then?

When do you do stuff in the house or are you always watching tv? Do you leave it til a break between programs to do cooking etc?

What about mealtimes? Are you still watching tv?

Dont you ever do anything else at home? Read a book? Play games? Housework? Are uou literally watching tv all day?
Im just trying to fathom the logistics of always watching tv. I think I watch too much since lockdown as I bingwatch a series occasionally. But even then we're talking a few hours here and there not all day!!

For us I guess we have the conversations while the tv is on in the background. It means we are both free to do our own thing such as read, write or play on the Switch without needing to entertain the other person etc.

We of course do talk but the tv is quiet enough that it does not distract etc. Plus sometimes it's nice to kind of just talk about easy things like what's on tv etc.

If I need to do something I will just do it with the tv on. I see lots of people have the radio on all day how is the tv any different.

I literally have to have the tv on to some extend if I want to focus on reading or play on the computer as otherwise I will fixate on highly irritating noises such as licking by the pets, people around me breathing, clock ticking etc. I usually have the tv on at a low volume of 9-15 so I can still focus on the task etc

Like mostly others, Ilike background noise so have the radio or spotify on usually but I have been experimenting with some podcasts this week. I don't like a silent house unless I'm reading.

No, I don't like background noises no one listens to.

I rarely put the TV on. If I do, it’ll be to find some white noise on YouTube to help DS3 nap (he’s a fan of rain sounds).

I really hate having the TV just on in the background. Same with the radio. I’ll put something specific on to watch/listen to. We don’t even have a tv license, so there’s no option of just sticking whatever is being shown currently on anyway.

We don't actually have a telly, so no. Music is generally always playing though.

Funnily enough I turn the tv off when I have friends over, its something I do unconsciously. Come to think of it, growing up if we had guests or friends over, we would turn the tv off before arrival.

No. I like the quiet/sounds of house, garden, etc. It’s one of the many things that drives me bats about my MIL, the TV on all the time. She’ll go out to take the dog for a walk but switch the TV on for me and DP, then look askance when she comes back and it’s off: “you should make yourselves at home!” We did, by turning the bloody thing off.

@sugarbum

DH does this and it drives me nuts. He sometimes has BOTH tvs plus the radio on, and then he has the door shut to his office (well its the play room, but at the moment its his office. My 'office' is the spare bedroom) I can't stand the noise, but also stop using so much fecking electricity for no reason at all. Put the radio on in the office if needs be.

He puts the telly and radio on and then leaves the room? Has he explained WHY??

I don’t think it’s a class issue. My Grandma is vairy MC but she loves TV. She always has the BBC on, she doesn’t like ITV because it’s ‘common’ and ‘quite crass’ apparently .

Maybe it’s an age thing, I don’t have a clue. She will sit and read a book with the TV on in the background for example. I can’t concentrate with any noise, I can’t even have music playing.

Dont you ever talk to each other? Have conversations? Do you turn it off then?
No, there is no talking allowed in my loving room

When do you do stuff in the house or are you always watching tv? Do you leave it til a break between programs to do cooking etc? We only have microwave meals so I do them in the adverts

What about mealtimes? Are you still watching tv? See above, no talking on the living room. Everyone has one of those tables on their lap so we line up on the sofa and eat in silence.

Dont you ever do anything else at home? Read a book? Play games? Housework? Are uou literally watching tv all day?
We only do housework during adds. No washing up as microwave meals so just chick in the bin. Very little mess as the children don't have toys or books and eat on their telly trays.

No way. But I have a noisy job so appreciate a quiet home.

This is an interesting thread and not something I'd really considered before. But... I grew up in a household where TV was not a daytime thing. In fact, I have a day off today and am a little bored but it hasn't occurred to me to put the television on (although I might do now) I think it was kind of culturally unacceptable to put the television on before evening time and I've kept to this for some reason. I hadn't thought of it as a class issue before; I was solidly middle class growing up. How random that class preferences can permeate all areas of life even something as seemingly arbitrary as what time the television is on!!

Neither of my dds have TVs and recently dgd watched tv at her other dgps (just over a year old) and now is a bit obsessed with it.

DD was adamant she didn't want her watching tv under a year as research shows it was not good for her dc's development. New thinking and she is probably right.

Must admit that tv was a real help with mine in the 90s and Disney videos

the only mum-did he do a survey or something

i used to now i like some peace and quiet while i do other things-sometimes put music on