anyone else not have a tv???

[thisisyesterday]

well, we have a tv, but not conncted to cable or anything, we just use it for watching dvd's/

it's great and dp and I are very happy with the arrangement, as are the children atm.

but, ds1 is at nursery now and he keeps coming home and talking about kids tv shows that he can't watch. i mean, he doesn't know they are television shows, but today for example he said to me "I don't know about ben 10. I know how to say it, but I don't know what ben 10 is"

i said we could have a look at ben 10 on the internet but we forgot.

so, I guess what I am asking is, do your kids find it difficult at school and stuff when everyone else is talking about tv showes and things that they can't watch? do they feel left out?
I can remember pretending I had watched he-man at primary school so I wasn't the only one who hadn't seen it. and there seems to be so much peer pressure these days.

then again, i kind of feel that kids have so much choice of things to watch on tv, esp if you have cable or satellite etc that maybe they don't all watch the same stuff anyway???

am i worrying over nothing?

I made the decision to dump the TV when I realised that noone watched it other than my friends kids. I was skint and the time and it seemed stupid to be paying over £100 a year for something that I didnt actually use.

My mum basically used the TV as a babysitter and I grew up glued to it. It's a complete habit now and I find I miss the background noise of having it on when it's off.

I enjoy TV but I'm conscious that my DS (11 weeks old) is already becoming somewhat mesmerised by it. I don't mind at the moment as he's too little to really use proper toys so the pictures and sound are good mental stimulation for him, but once he's sitting up and playing, I'm going to have the TV off and only allow him to watch certain things.

I love film more so he'll be watching lots of fantastic Japanese childrens' animation. He'll be able to confuse the other children at school just as much

My DH had a TV but his mum hardly ever used to let him watch it and even then only for a specific eg nature programme, then it would be switched off straight away.
He remembers feeling a bit sad and embarrassed that everyone watched Happy Days except him BUT my dh reads all the time, can mend and cook and loves to get out and about. Even now he gets impatient with the TV.

I, on the other hand, along with the rest of my family was glued to the TV every evening. I have a head full of adverts and theme tunes word for word from the 70s and 80s. A waste of space IMO.

I don't have tv. Rather spend the licence money elsewhere (money v tight for a while). Ds does miss out a bit eg Dr Who, playing Lewis Hamilton in the playground without really knowing who he is ... but I kind of resent the fact that you are fed all this, sh*t, basically, and the passivity of sitting there ingesting it ... I would be/have been the worst couch potato in the world whenever we have had the box. The only other mum I know without lives on a boat. There are times when I think I may get one, but never urgently enough to do it. Lots of my friends think it's weird not to have one but I find the fact that it's regarded as compulsory makes me even more averse.

We don't have a TV, but we do use IPlayer.

It hasn't been a problem yet. DDs are 3 and 6. They haven't yet been made to feel left out, as far as I can detect.

Although they do get very cross when we go to Grandmas and they discover that on a real TV you have to watch what's being broadcast at that moment - you can't pick and choose like they do at home

I hate our tv. If there is anything i really want to watch there is iplayer etc.
When i am in the house alone the tv never gets switched on. I prefer to potter around, do some craft, read etc. I hate the mind-numbed feeling of having sat in front of pointless shite all evening.

Unfortunately, dp and dsd are complete telly heads. It has to be on constantly, neither enjoy getting out and about.
Dd loves Dr Who and a couple of other bits but has started to go for i-player rather than switch the telly on.

I honestly think it stunts creative growth. I know that sounds utterly poncey. Sorry.

We havent had a tv for 10 years. I used to be glued to it and would organise my social life around ER etc. We moved to Aus for a while and decided not to get one and have never looked back.

We chat, we read lots, we used to go out!

We dont plan on getting one, but I have no problem keeping up with what is going on in the world, that's what radios and papers are for.

Have discovered the iplayer though and we are addicted to Strictly. We also download series that we are intereseted in. Heros, Lost, Weeds.

Have never seen an episode of Desperate Housewives and dont think my life is any the worse for it and I certainly am not pining after most of the reality dross that passes for tv these days.

What I love about our sitting room is that there is no tv with the rest of the room focused on it, it's just a lovely room.

I do notice people take a while to figure out what is missing when they first come in

wow, I am really surprised at how many other people are without TV's. and how many positive experiences you've had living without or growing up without one.
I do feel happier about it now!

as I said before, I am totally not anti-tv. it came about by accident and we discovered we liked not having one. DS has dvd's so isn't completely outside mainstream culture in that respect (and can still use it as babysitter! lol) and yes we have broadband and can watch iplayer etc.

We went on holiday a while back and I got all excited about having tv in our cottage. we turned it on twice I think, and it weas such crap on it went straight off. there is occasionally osmething I'd like to watch, but never usually overly compelling.

thank you all for sharing, it's been a really interesting thread

We have a set, but like the OP- it is not connected to an aerial or receiver.
We use it to play games consoles or watch DVDs (DH and I, not DD- she is only 2.10).
We made a decision not to get the television aerial connected when we moved house 3 years ago to a newly refurbished house that had had the aerial removed. Before we moved the only programme we watched was Newsnight- most of the rest of programmes are utter tosh. We do not subscribe to the sleb culture in the UK, and never keep regular enough hours to watch a whole series of something
Occasionally we watch a DVD of a television series borrowed from friends- Heroes we saw, House, and Prison Break (yeah- I know, classy stuff) and we watch films.
The only thing DD has ever seen is a Bod DVD that I bought in a fit of nostalgia for my childhood.... and I am about to buy the Noggin the Nog one too.
However, I don't think little children should watch television, so certainly don't think she is missing out. Yes- children at nursery talk about things, and she doesn't know what they are, but tbh- I'm sure that goes the other way too- she has an odd eccentric selection of interests, and talks about toby jugs, piggy banks, and Bod (of course) and I'm sure they're equally clueless.
We have internet and radio for news or entertainment, and of course books- our house is filled to overflowing with books, and DD is an addict just as much as I am.
With DS due in Jan, I doubt we will get the aerial connected in the next 2 or 3 years, but after that we probably will. I'm sure there are some programmes of merit out there, but tbh every time DH and I scout around on i-player we are just further convinced our decision has been the right one (numberjacks and Bob the Builder are 2 we looked at and recoiled in horror from).
DH does like 'Mighty Booosh' though...

When I was small, I didn't watch much television- the muppets and Dr Who on a saturday, and 5 minutes in the evening- the Herbs, Bod, Mr Benn, Noggin the Nog etc) but once I started school, I just didn't bother. I always preferred to read.

ooh hello eachpeachpearmum, you commented on another thread about my ds1's first name and I didn't see it until recently and couldn't be bothered to revive the thread lol

the Torvalds link is exactly why dp liked the name lol he said "that isn't wrong is it???"
i was just happy to get my first choice of name :D

Hi tiy- yes, that was me! I do like the name very much, but DH just wouldn't live it down...
We are going for a pretty similar name though- from same area... beginning with M same last 3 letters!

ahhh v cool, I know someone who called her son that quite recently, it's very sweet

Surely TVs like everything (incl MN!) everything in moderation...without it they would miss so much positive stuff. Plenty of converstaions have been kicked off here because of what the kids have seen.

If you have sky plus or a hard drive DVD player tou can just record what you want, it really stops you watching rubbish.

Besides the majority of people watched TV as kids and still lead interesting lives don't they?

DS does watch TV but has never seen Ben 10, power rangers etc as they are on CBBC which is too old for him. He does know all the characters though because as soon as he started nursery he came home talking about them. It took me a while to figure out whaat the hell benten was, I thought it was some sort of made up word for a while

I bought a Ben 10 magazine and worked out what he does so ds now knows the basics, In fact he often uses it as starting point for his imaginative story telling. I'm afraid I can't make head not tail of Power Rangers so he is on his own there and will have to wing it at nursery , DS perfectly accepts that these are programmes for bigger boys.

I can't give up the TV I'm afraid, I spent 2 years determined not to let ds watch TV in the morning when he was waking at 4.30/5am so doggedly got up with him, He absolutely refused to play anything on his own. Then I finally cracked recently and our mornings are much less fraught.

I class DVDs etc as TV.

What do you all do if your child is ill or even worse if you are ill. Quiet activities like jigsaws, games, crafts, colouring just have never done it for ds. I have never once got him to do a jigswa or play snap and neither has nursery.

I was very ill last week for a couple of days and quite frankly the only respite i got from ds's interminable imaginary game play was screen time and ds did get loads of it, so much so that when dh came home, ds;s first words were "I had loads of Tv today' which he was incredibly excited aboutblush

To those who say we don't have TV but watch DVDs and i-player, like lazycow, I class those as TV really.

Not that there's anything wrong with that mind you, as I said I luuuurve the TV.

BTW I am much more likely to watch sthg recorded on the hard drive (it rules!) than live TV, apart from the news of course (junkie)

I'm not very informed - is iplayer like watching TV on a computer? If so then don't see the difference between watching TV on a television.
I quite like to discuss the programmes DP and I watch (we record everything and watch when it suits us). I don't fancy watching stuff on my own on a laptop, seems a bit too isolated to me.
We watch DVDs from Lovefilm, but it is cheaper to record films from the TV - there is a massive choice: day and night.
If you only watch DVDs wouldn't you end up watching the same films over and over?

thisisyesterday

we have not hd tv ( for the children ) since moving here 18 months ago

we DO have dvds

I am very very happy with the way things have gone

all the dcs have stopped screen time almost completetly

my older boys say they dont miss it at all

dd probably does miss it...

the younger children do seem 'different' ds3 did also ask me about ben10 and said he wanted a ben10 watch

i bough him a ben10 figure thing but the phase passed

i buy them dvd's = at christmas they will get a few each to compensate

i LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to say 'no' all the time to them - which is what i was doing when they had tv

now they never ask - if they do ask for dvd's i say yes generally - and INCREASINGLY as they ask less IYKWIM

best parenting thing we have done imo

my ds 4 who has never known tv is my easiest child

occupys himself beautifully during he day very contented

he still loves dvds 'the snowman' 'mary poppins' 'spiderwick' are his favourites so he is not completely deprived

NAO- DS4 is the same age as my DD, yes?
How does he cope with the end of the snowman?
We have it for DD for christmas... but I cannot even watch the end without sobbing for an h our... so not sure about letting her see the whole thing
I have got her Mr Benn too

he 'reads' snowman 10 times a day and does a fake sad face when the 'nowman mowted' !!

we all pretend to cry!

no sincerity in our house!

Well... you do have 5 boys, I'm guessing there isn't much sentimentality at your house!
DD is a little more highly strung sensitive.... am forseeing howls, tears, and endless questions about 'Why did he have to melt Papa?' for about 3 weeks worth of bedtimes afterwards

Eachpear - quite the contrary

the boys are the sensitive ones

dd hard as nails!

The solution is - that of course the snowman comes back everytime it snows....he is not gone - just you cant see him...

I was having a nervous breakdown because the old 'Bowie' beginning was so much more moving than the tacky FC one that replaced it.....these things bother me!