Watching Less TV

Why did we decide to be TV free?

For several years we had cable television in our home. Our children were addicted to TV. I was always very careful about the programming they watched. They were only allowed to watch PBS, Disney, and Nickelodeon. But only certain programs on each station, because I did not like the content of many of the childrens shows such as “Rugrats.” I did like “Arthur” and “Little Bear” and “Out of the Box” to name a few.

The problem was not my ability to say, “Time to turn off the TV.” and not give in no matter how much they begged. Rather the problem was their bickering, whining, begging to watch just one more show.

My son, who has always loved to read, only read books on ocassion. He would rather watch TV than read. You can be lazy when you are watching the television. When you read a book you have to think and use your mind.

We had to plead with the children to go play outside. They would rather watch the next program on TV. Anytime we said to turn off the TV, there was always a battle of wills. I wondered what was the point? Why go through that on a daily basis? If you can avoid conflict within a family shouldn’t you do whatever it takes?

So what happened when we went cold turkey on the television?

More than we expected! The children knew we weren’t getting cable, so all of their favorite programs were no longer available to them. We do have an antenna that provides us with three local networks - NBC, ABC, and CBS. Although occasionally some don’t come in. We are able to watch the news which is nice. But there are many days when the TV is never turned on.

The children spend their free time reading and playing. My son reads chapter books constantly. He devours them. My little girls pull books off their shelves all throughout the day.

What we didn’t expect was the improvement in behaviour. Television makes a huge impact on how children behave - for the worse. The constant stimulation makes children irritable and agressive. I had observed this in my children, but a recent study by the Stanford University also proved what I already had found out.

We allow our children to watch a movie every other week or so on the VCR. They enjoy this a lot and they get very excited when we surprise them with a movie. But they never expect to watch a movie or program whenever they feel like it. Television is a priviledge, not a given.

If we want them to watch a movie based on a book, I have them read the book first. Such as The Wind in the Willows or the biography of Helen Keller and the The Miracle Worker. If they watch the movie first the are not able to use their imaginations when reading the book. Images from the movie flood their brain. They don’t have preconceived ideas about what people look like or talk like if they read the book first. That way they are able to use their imaginations to the fullest.

There are lots of ways to spend the time you would be watching TV. Some of these ideas are: reading, taking walks with your family, cutting coupons, creating homemade crafts, playing games, studying, and more!

• Study: Cutting TV Reduces Agression