TV - who doesn't watch it?

[ChaCha]

DH and I started married life without one, we never had much time for it anyway. A few years later I bought one (or two) as I needed some 'relaxation time' after work or 'check out' time as I like to call it. Anyhow, TV was great when i had a small baby and was pregnant, kept DS1 busy while i was sick/lying down etc.. great while b/f too etc..
Anyway, to cut a long story short i have now gotten rid of all our TVs and after a week or two of some strange behaviour from DS1 all is good.

My question is now that I have to do a lot more with my DC, everything i do involves them, cannot just leave DS1 in front of the box while i go and prepare their lunch etc.. they want to be with me everywhere and do lots of stuff. What do mothers who are living without TV do with their kids when they need some time out themselves, i.e. put dinner on, visit bathroom etc.. I cannot take them everywhere with me and they only play alone for a little while before getting into mischief.

Hope this makes sense. Surprisingly both our families except for grandad think it's a good move - only have a few friends who get annoyed by my choice.

Thanks

Well done you, I certainly don't watch hardly any tv, too busy MNing or working and I would get rid in a flash if DH would allow it. My DS used to but doesn't much anymore. I guess, you will have to teach them to play alone sometimes. Crayons and the obvious, play dough, crafty stuff really. Not much help really.

Well done you. DH and I lived for a long time without the televison, but we do have one now. However, it hardly ever gets turned on (except for F1 Grand Prix) and I very rarely have it turned on during the day unless it's to watch one or two episodes of Postman Pat or Fireman Sam a couple of times a week.

I encourage DS to just get on with playing in the sitting room with puzzles or whatever he's been playing with or with his kitchen in the dining room when I'm cooking; or else he comes upstairs when I need the loo and occupies himself with books or toys. The televison is just not a great part of our lives.

I don't watch it.
My kids entertain themselves mostly and although I am effectively single working parent (dh abroad for weeks on end) we manage fine. My kids are 3 and 6.

Me at the moment. Ours has broken, and I've got too much going on to do anything about it. Ds has no interest in TV so far, athough he is still very young.

We will get another one though at some stage. I grew up in a household where TV wasn't allowed and it made my school days hell. I had no idea what other children were talking about. When I went to other peoples' houses all I wanted to do was watch TV (forbidden fruit and all that). Took me years to get over that once I was old enough to have my own TV (bought one the moment I went to uni)

We live happily without one . My children are 13, 9 and 8, and we've never had one.

I think you just have to put up with the mischief - it happens. As do many strange cardboard constructions .

Muffin, I think that there are so many channels now for people to watch that I have a feeling that children won't get as sidelined when they don't watch it as they used to.

Certainly my nephew (who's nearly 10) doesn't see much as he's too busy doing other things and he has reassured us that he doesn't feel left out (we were slightly concerned at the end of last term, but it wasn't because of that).

We don't have one. DD is 3, DS is 18 months.

When I need to put DS up for a nap, I get out some 'special' toys for DD (fuzzy felt, her shleich animals, drawing with chalk, whatever the flavour of the week is) and get her set up with a game. If she is intent on coming upstairs with us I put on a DVD for her (specially selected, might I add, for thei gentle paced, story or song based content).

DS is obviously too young to be bothered, but DD does whinge sometimes and ask to watch a DVD, which makes me glad we don't have a telly, because I imagine there would be much more whinging!

we don't have one. i tend to let dd (14months) play in the kitchen around my feet if i'm doing something in there like putting on dinner. have taken all dangerous stuff out of bottom drawers and cupboards and covered wall plugs so don't worry about what she gets up to. she sometimes wanders off into other rooms, (i'll get caught out one day i expect), but she comes into contact with nothing dangerous and she can play on her own quite happily for up to 30 mins now. if she needs interaction, i will usually put her in some kind of baby carrier and cook, wash up, do laundry etc while carrying her. she LOVES watching me cook.

HTH.
good question though. i often wonder what others without telly do.

We've not had one for over 10 years and dd (now 7) used to come everywhere with me. She'd play/read/draw in the kitchen while I was cooking and come outside with me when I went to the toilet. How old are your children?

I watch tv after the kids are in bed to relax, but only let my children watch a few hours on weekend mornings. During the week when I am doing the household duties etc. they play with each other. They are just 5 and almost 7. It was much harder when they were both babies. But very quickly learned to amuse themselves and each other. I think you will find that having kids that don't regularly watch tv, means that you have kids that know how to be self sufficient for amusement. My kids never ever tell me they are bored. And now that ds can read, he just picks up a book when he doesn't feel like playing. I was brought up in the same way (v. little tv) and think that from my own experience and from how things have gone so far with my kids, you have definitely made a wise choice. My kids have arguments at the breakfast table about how many satellites have been sent to mars and whether god exists.

I hate it and if it was up to me we wouldn't have one but dp is a bit of a TV-addict and wouldn't contemplate getting rid. I probably watch TV less than once a month - I watch Jane Austen stuff and the occasional film with the girls. Sometimes Trinny and Susannah type things with dd1. I lived without all the way through uni and for several years afterwards, basically until I met dp - and would happily do without again.

Very impressed with those of you who HAVE got rid of them.

We haven't been connected to a TV signal for most of our married lives (20 years next year!) although for the longest while now we have had tv's but use them simply as vehicles for watching dvds. This is legal, we registered as such with the tv licensing people, and about every 3 years we get a mandatory visit. This works brilliantly, as we can purchase or download stuff we really want to watch, but we don't turn into couch potatoes. Ds wasn't even interested in tv at all until about 3 or 4 months ago, and will only watch it now if very tired, or poorly (or a captive audience - like in his high chair - which can occasionally be useful). Would reccommend this to anyone who can't quite face life without tv at all but isn't happy with the status quo. Most people comment on the peacefulness of our house which I alway think is due to the fact that we do not have the tv on perpetually (as lots of people do nowadays), spewing out rubbish like some eveil gremlin in the corner of the room!

We don't have a TV, but to be honest the girls frequently watch a DVD on the computer when I just want to get on with making the tea uninterrupted. Or sometimes they play on poissonrouge.com, which they seem to like doing together (they are 5 and 2, so DD1 "does" while DD2 giggles!).

When I am on good form, I get them to help with what I'm doing (if it's suitable). But generally, they are also quite good at occupying themselves - maybe because we never have had a TV in the corner, so they are more used to it. DD1 comes up with crazy make-believe games and DD2 is her stooge. The dressing up basket comes in handy when they are stuck.

When I'm really brave, I let them paint while I cook The mess is indescribable, but it absorbs them for ages.