To ditch our TV?

[Toodleloodle]

I'm thinking about getting rid of our TV. I have a baby and a toddler (2.5 years) and when they eventually go to sleep, we just spend our evening vegetating in front of the telly. Yes, we've watched some good documentaries and dramas, but we also watch a lot of trash. From 6am - 7pm I'm looking after small children - I have so little free time that it just seems mad to spend it staring passively at a box instead of, say, reading, doing something creative, exercising, actually having a proper conversation with DH etc. I'm just not sure it's actually relaxing and I feel like I'm wasting my life. I'm also relying on the TV a lot to entertain my toddler at the moment and she's basically obsessed with Peppa Pig. Does anyone else feel the same? Have you got rid of your TV or at least managed to cut down? Have you noticed any impact on your kids?

You don’t have to get rid of it just turn it off for awhile

@toomuchlaundry

You don’t have to get rid of it just turn it off for awhile

Yeah, I get that - but it's too tempting, too easy isn't it? I want to be forced to do something else. One option is setting up a projector / screen in another room, so that it's there if we want, but is a bit less east that turning the telly on and being sucked in to whatever's on. I also really love the idea of having a living room where the furniture isn't all pointed towards the tv...

I haven't watched TV for over 15 years now. I don't miss it at all.

During a recent hospital stay the nurses kept turning my TV on, I kept turning it off!

My children have now left home but seem to manage without the TV fix very easily whilst they are visiting.

I love the TV, I would be bored shitless without it (dh rarely here in evenings).

I agree you don’t have to get rid of it. Just make an effort to switch off and do something else, chat with your DH, read, listen to podcasts, etc.

We've got a projector and screen mounted on the ceiling. To watch something we need to pull the screen down, start up the projector (which takes a couple of minutes, and often draw at least some curtains. We tend to watch around half an hour of children's documentaries and stuff as a family in the evenings, but there's no temptation to set it up the rest of the time and it doesn't need to affect the room layout. We also don't have a TV licence, so we can't arrange our lives to the TV schedule even if we were tempted to. It works well for us, so I think your ideas would probably work well for you too.

What does your DH think?!

Our tv is stored away. Adults Can bring it out for a family film etc, but the endless availability of Netflix was affecting ds' behaviour so now screen time is much more restricted which helps.

Go for it if that's what you want. Give it a trial.

I have not had a tv for 5 years , If i want to watch something I do it on my laptop which I tend to do for a hour or two in the evening ( i live alone so no one to talk to )

If you have netfliks / prime etc pick a couple of programs a week you want to watch and either set your tv to go to sleep after x time or get a timer socket to do the same

I hate watching stuff on my laptop. Our TV has a bigger screen and much, much better sound quality.

Why don't you move the TV into the loft or somewhere out of the way instead? You might find having a TV useful when your DC are older.

I mean, do what you like, but I personally don't subscribe to the thought that leisure time has to be spent doing something of virtue. I like watching tv, I like playing computer games, I like reading, I like painting my nails.

I didn't have a tv while in uni and that was great - we just went out all the time! Slightly different as a middle-aged parent though.

but I personally don't subscribe to the thought that leisure time has to be spent doing something of virtue.

I'm glad you said that. In winter I love to curl up and watch a good crime drama. I'm not keen on jigsaws, I love reading but prefer to read in bed, I hate doing anything arty or crafty. I do occasionally go to the cinema or theatre or the pub, but I don't do these things every night.

In summer I like to potter about in the garden.

I hate it when morally superior posters "boast" about never watching TV. I bet they still watch screens, but not TV screens, which IMO give a much better viewing experience than a laptop, tablet or phone.

You can set whatever rules you like for your son. We had no TV before lunch.

Getting rid entirely is a family decision. Why not start with screen free Weds and Sat or something, and see how you get on (if DH is on the same page).

*sorry, daughter not son

We always had a TV when i was small, then my sister had no TV for her kids which i thought was a bit of a strong position to take.
Then when we moved in and had kids and bought a house we never actually got a TV! We just never feel we need one, we do stare at phones a lot and use YouTube on laptops but there's no TV.

we do stare at phones a lot and use YouTube on laptops

At least you admit to using screens though.
Having crap eyesight and not great hearing (thank you measles) I prefer to stare at a TV.

It is the virtue signallers who talk disparagingly about TVs that irritate me because they are often so hypocritical as they do use screens, just smaller ones.

I love tv, there are some great docs and dramas. But I also love books and podcasts. I love being told a story.

I use my iPad to catch up, if my eyes were better would use tv, eye issues I hope resolved soon

Just be more selective about what you do watch and switch it off sometimes.

But what will you point the furniture at?!

@LeQuern

But what will you point the furniture at?!

OP your post reminded me of when I was first married to (my now ex) husband. I insisted we didn’t buy a TV, I hadn’t watched it for years anyway as a student, but knew that if we had one we would gravitate to watching it when we could be doing other stuff. The first few months of our marriage we played so many board games, chess, monopoly etc, met up with other friends, went for walks, talked and generally had, what I remember as, a really fun and satisfying life. Six months in, he went and bought a TV (without me knowing) and gradually we did indeed gravitate into couch potatoes, as it’s very easy to do so when entertainment is at the switch of a button.
Perhaps put your TV in the loft temporarily and see how you get on?

You could be mode productive or more engaged in conversation with your dh. But you are allowed to relax and watch trash if you want. I would try and rebalance things without giving it up completely. Also is dh on board with this?

I could easily live without the tv.