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Original poster

I am getting rid of my t.v.!

108 replies

souvenir · 30/01/2006 11:28

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souvenir · 30/01/2006 15:42

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souvenir · 30/01/2006 15:44

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moondog · 30/01/2006 16:05

Yes souvenir,am completely confused at the notion that sitting in front of the box of an evening is considered relaxing.
Eh????

I look at what's on every single day and never see anything I would choose over reading,writing a letter,having someone around for a drink or oooh even ironing.

Must say that I do love Shameless though.
Nothing short of brilliant.

Filyjonk · 30/01/2006 16:05

Oh no I love our tv.

Ds has learnt ao much from the tv. He learnt sign language which was useful as he had delayed speech (as did his tv free dad btw). He'll happily entertain himself all day w/o tv(he's 2.4). He watches around an hour a week, I suppose.

I loooove to sit on the sofa of an evening, watching ER and Friends reruns, bf dd, knitting and studying (all at once sometimes). Its just great in cold weather.

Probably will home educate + will def use tv-all those wildlife+sciency programs! I love the BBC Schools programs! (saddo that I am)

Everything in moderation, I say.

kittyfish · 31/01/2006 11:23

TV is meant to be bad for babies and young children with research in USA linking it to ADHD. The recommendation is no TV for under three's as it messes up the hard wiring going on in the brain (I think, will check). I have never had tv on as a babysitter for my daughter. If I need to do something she is usually happy messing around on the floor with her toys. If not we do stuff together. I work from home too!!

Souvenir - I think you are v brave and your life will be fuller without the gogglebox.

mazzystar · 31/01/2006 18:48

anyone who is wavering fancy a week long tv switch-off experiment?

says the woman whose child is watching a shrek dvd as she types

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souvenir · 31/01/2006 18:55

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kittyfish · 31/01/2006 19:58

Hurrah, and good for you. If you get withdrawals I recommend R4.

beasmum · 31/01/2006 20:43

just remembering, while reading these messages, some times in front of the TV when I was a kid that I'll always remember: sitting cosy and warm in our living room with my family watching Blue Peter at Christmas when they made magical, sparkly decorations that I just thought were the most beautiful thing; and the indescribable thrill of seeing ballet, and gymnastics, the things I lived for, done by the most skilled people on the planet. I also remember loving any dramas that had angels or fairies or anything with glittery costumes in! And the magic of sunday evening serials like Box of Delights.

TV isn't a big part of my childhood memories but did allow me to see things I would have had no chance to otherwise. And there was a certain magic to the things I remember which I feel added to my childhood.

So good on anyone who gets rid of it, it can't be a bad thing - but I'll keep mine so I can try to give my son the quality experiences it does offer at times. I do agree with those who say keep in control of it - it can't be good to watch too much very young.

nannyme · 31/01/2006 20:57

We habe TV now but lived for two years without. We lied up a mountain and could not be bothered to sort out aerials and things as we have a bit of an aversion to most TV.

Can't say we spent hours of an evening enjoying a jolly good family board game as was my fantasy but we did bake around the Aga and do other fun stuff which was rather more sociable than telly!

You will probably love it and find it isn't a big deal. What may shock you, however, is just how much everyone else talks bout TV.

Only thing I got taped for me was child of our time and a Philip Larkin dramatisation thingy...

nannyme · 31/01/2006 20:59

My word! My typing is horrendous today, I am so sorry, hope you can understand my gibberish!

CaptainDippy · 31/01/2006 21:04

We haven't got a TV - never bothered me and DD1 doesn't mind at all (DD2's a bit young) - She does go a bit crazy when we're round someone else's house and they have got one on - She goes right up to the screen and licks it and trys to hug it. Mmmmmm, disturbing.

mszebra · 31/01/2006 21:04

We lived w/out telly for 6 years; then DH cracked & got a tv card for the computer last year.
I'm slowly getting used to it (we have a weakness for the Daily Show).
We still don't watch much. I was appalled that the 6yo learnt how to turn it on, but he seems to like the UK History channel more than anything else. It does amaze me how media-oriented society is (though it's far worse in my native California). I don't know what a lot of famous people look like, no time to watch telly or read newspapers, I listen to radio all day instead.

morningpaper · 31/01/2006 21:08

but how will you cook dinner?

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souvenir · 31/01/2006 22:00

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nulnulcat · 31/01/2006 22:16

im a bad mum cbeebies on all day in background dd is 2.2 knows her favourite programs joins in with them particularly if it involves dancing and she has learnt stuff watches something with sign language repeats the word and copies the sign she sings all her songs and knows the actions to them am single mum so without tv i wouldnt get anything done round house no family nearby to take her off my hands for a few hours so no choice but to stick her in front of tv! keeps her out of mischief for a little while anyway

notasheep · 31/01/2006 22:31

Are you being serious?

zenia · 31/01/2006 22:33

We have a 42 inch plasma and I am very proud of it - no way would we give up TV!

Original poster
souvenir · 01/02/2006 12:37

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faeriemum · 01/02/2006 12:51

nulnulcat.....im exactly the same! ...being a single mum with ds with me 24hours a day 7 days a week....it gets abit difficult to do activities and get things done 24hours a day! ....we have a good share of no tv time...but cbeebies is on in the background while ds plays and i get things done on computer or in kitchen.......i couldnt not be without the tv..and as it took me a year to save up for my flat screen...i think i deserve it! .....
good on, anyone who is without...but each to their own 'eh!

faeriemum · 01/02/2006 12:52

couldnt be* (not: couldnt not)

lazycow · 01/02/2006 13:05

God no

Ds doesn't watch much but I need the dvd so he can watch baby mozart or bob the builder while I shower and dress (else he screams at the door for me.) I also occasionally use a video/dvd if I want to vacuum or cook and ds is really getting in the way. At 14 months it is pretty difficult to get him to 'help'. I do sometimes carry him in my hip sling instead as I vacuum/cook but I really can't do certain things with him in there and anyway sometimes he is just too heavy.

No his morning 25 mins of baby mozart/bob the builder is just too useful - sorry if that makes me a lazy mum - Also dh and I watch dvds in the evening - it is the way we chill out. We also watch some tv though not as much as dvds

We had no tv recently for about two weeks and I have to say I hated it. I really didn't use the time to do anything more useful (why would I it is my relaxing time?) Yes I do read but I found myself bored after 2 hrs of that. Plus I had to shower with ds screaming in his playpen for about a week - not very relaxing.

So now would never ger rid of it.

shrub · 01/02/2006 13:37

souvenir - we got rid of ours last august and haven't regretted it. the catalyst for me was the reporting of the london bombings. there isn't an appropriate way to report any horror, but i watched the frenzy, almost excitement of some of the broadcasts including interviewing a man, covered in blood who had only moments ago been in one of the carraiges. He was in deep shock and they were asking him what he saw. i thought it was irresponsible and it made me feel so angry - he needed medical help and counselling not a microphone and a camera!
i have 3 boys (5, 2 and 9 months) and i just didn't feel comfortable with the stuff thats on the screen these days. when the news was on i would get depressed and ds1 would ask questions that i am just not ready to answer - maybe because there are no answers. we use it for videos but only ones i feel happy with them watching. i posted on another thread recently how my ds1 was shaking under the table when they watched 'the incredibles' as a christmas treat. i find modern day films and cartoons for children too much. i use to work in animation and rememeber reading somewhere there is an american prerequisite for loud noise or an event every 2-3 minutes to keep them watching - the same template that is used in action films for adults.
we may get laughed at for this but we watch stuff like ivor the engine, bagpuss, the pink panther or educational (though because of the novelty value that the tv is on they enjoy watching most stuff. the funny thing is its quite normal where i live not to watch tv. we swap videos with the neighbours and have recently watched 4 series of 'six feet under' which is one of the best things i have seen, so its not as if we are completely out of the loop. my dh is embarrased telling his family we've made a conscious decision to cancel licence, first he pretended we still had one when they would phone up and talk about what was on, eventually he told them it was broken instead! both of our parents have television on most of the time and find it quite disturbing that we have done this.
re. educational or entertainment deprevation - we instead now try to make the effort to go out with them more. we are lucky enough to live in a culturally rich area. including theatre, exhibitions, concerts etc. the children seem to connect more when its the authentic experience of seeing a band play and feel the music vibrate through the body!
aware of peer pressure but having had a childhood saturated with tv i can also remember the sheer boredom and monotony of watching it for the sake of it because there felt like there was nothing else to do.
there is a movement i have heard about in brighton called 'the white dot' where they are encouraging people to turn off tv though i imagine it wouldn't be in the media's best interest to report it. i'm not very aware of the news these days but i prefer not knowing too much to be honest. i've found it rather liberating.

lazycow · 01/02/2006 14:20

Shrub - just a question - How do you watch videos without a TV?

We watch dvds on our PC but ds has videos and I wouldn't want to spend a fortune on dvds instead of the much cheaper videos. (Though as I said I have no problem per se with TV) - Just wondering

oliveoil · 01/02/2006 14:28

Not read all these but I would say - DON'T DO IT. My Dad got rid of the TV when we were younger and we were picked on at school for not having one and you feel different from everyone else as you do not have the same 'pointers' as them for knowing characters etc. No child wants to stick out.

I vividly remember pretending to have watched a something and waffling on feeling wretched.

Turn it off if you don't want to watch it too much and I personally think a lot of programmes are very educational.