Yep, we have a tv. Actually, we have 3 tv's. We also have cable. Do we sit in front of the tv all day and night....no. Do we let the boys watch crime/adult stories and other harsh/scary/or inappropriate shows....not at all. We DO use our own personal discretion and opinions with viewing choices, and have created our own personal balance with all electronic devices.
The boys occasionally watch what some people may call "mindless television", but actually it's not that mindless. They always chat through anything they are watching....they discuss the plot, point out poor grammar, analyze the character's actions, I could go on and on. What they have also learned to do {and what we are thrilled about} is to recognize inappropriate shows/characters. We've tried to teach them along the way about what to look out for in bad tv. Actually, the boys told ME to turn off Dancing With the Stars because they thought the costumes were inappropriate....which led to a great discussion.
Greg works very hard, and most often he is in NYC dealing with chaos during the day. Yesterday, he was on Rikers Island....today he is at Laguardia airport. Stress, I tell ya. At the end of the day, he loves to chill with us, walk to the playground, or just.....lay on the couch watching the news {or a movie-usually, Iron Man}.
Me.....I rarely watch tv during the day. Today, I watched part of Little Bear in the am, but that was unusual. Oh, and I did flip to Good Morning America. Anyway.....you may not approve, but I love laying in bed at night with the clicker in my hand. Love it. It may be Food Network, HGTV, or Bravo {yes, Bravo}. By the end of the day I am drained. I usually can't fall right to sleep, and I'm too tired to read.....tv is just relaxing to me.
I guess I'm sharing this because I've read a few blog posts lately where people were talking about how bad tv is. Yes, it can be, but it doesn't have to be. And frankly, I think it gets a really bad rap. With anything, it's how you use it. There are some wonderful shows on tv....we love Food Netwok in our house. It's inspired the boys to create their own recipes, and for all of us to find local fun restaurants. I think ultimately the choice is obviously up to each person. I don't have a problem if you don't have any tv's, but please don't consider me awful because I have 3.
In my opinion, the internet can be bad, if not worse than tv. Though, there are some great computer games online. But that's a whole 'nother subject. So, I hope you have not formed this new horrible opinion of me because of our viewing habits. If you saw my unfolded laundry piles, or knew that I recently avoided grocery shopping for days {and fed my family baked beans and cereal}....well, then I'd understand.
*BTW-these are just thoughts I wanted to share. No intense motive or plan in mind....just random thoughts :) And I reserve the right to change those thoughts at any time. ha!
18 comments:
You are so funny and I love it! In our last house, we had tvs in 5 rooms AND a theater room and I always laughed because I am the TV nazi. It is also our "thing"...our family loves to watch TV, especially movies...Preston is a movie buff. He doesn't golf, doesn't hunt, doesn't golf with the guys, but he does, like Greg, like to chill out with his family and watch a good flick. Knowing this however, I still have to be very cognizant of how much TV time is allowed, because before you know it, we've watched WAYYYY to much. Our weekends are typically always a bit too much TV for my liking, but I balance that out with hardly any TV time during the week. TV doesn't even come on until 7pm each night, and off an hour or so later before bedtime and devotionals!
Oh, the theater room!! Well,I'm glad I'm not the only one :) And I agree, some days more, some less....some none, some..., etc. I think we are the same that we insist it's balanced with outdoor time, reading time, and all that other good stuff :)
"So, I hope you have not formed this new horrible opinion of me because of our viewing habits...."
May I take the liberty to add: "...and if you have, that's unfortunate, but I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery. Faulty thinking can really mess you up."
I would not be Ruth if I didn't throw my two cents in there. :D
Ruth..always love your 2 cents. You crack me up.
Totally agree with what you have to say here! It's like anything and everything, from TV, to computer, to books, to movies...on and on. I guess you could compare life to a grocery store, just because you go in, doesn't mean you have to buy all the junk food. :-) Can't tell I am married to a grocery man.
Yes!!! I am not the only person who likes to watch a little tv. I was actually watching Chopped when I was reading this post:-) I try to limit tv but I know I don't limit it enough when it comes to Andrew.
I have a love/hate relationship with the TV. There are days when I love it and days when I wish we didn't have one! Balance, I guess, is the key word. :)
Darcie-Love your grocery store comparison. :)
Tara-Believe me, when my boys were A's age the Wiggles were on daily. They used to dance and sing. We love watching Chopped!
Rebecca-Yes! Balance is key with everything.
:)
"like"
We have 5 TV's in our home and 4 of them have cable, one just the converter box. 3 of those TV's are in our bedrooms. Yes, we allow our kids to have cable TV in their rooms......they know what they are allowed to watch and what's not allowed. I'm thankful that they are so honest because sometimes there are shows on that are so inappropriate and the kids come to me and tell me what's on and if they should turn it off or that they already changed the channel.
We as parents have to allow our children to learn what the world is really like out there and pray that what values we instill in them helps them to make good choices both in TV viewing and in life choices.
TV isn't on all the time in our home either, but it is something that we enjoy to watch at night, to help us wind down......and guess what, I like to watch some shows that may cause some people to cringe :)
So, I say watch TV and ENJOY!!!
Thanks for your input, Anonymous. Please feel free to "say hi". Hmmm, wondering if I know you IRL? :)
Um, TV. We only have 1. We decided early on not to put tv's in bedrooms, just our personal decision. However, I can say there are times that I wish we had NOT made that decision! Sometimes I would love to just lie in bed with the clicker! LOL And just to be clear, there are BIG plans being made by hubby and oldest son to finish our basement in VA as soon as possible. Why? That's where the home theater will be! Yep, it's over then. I'll never see them! But, I guess I can watch all the Food Network I like. ;)
Hey!!
You're right, you do know me IRL :)
I look forward to reading your posts, and this one I had to leave a comment on... ;)
I'll e mail you sometime later today so we can catch up!!
Anonymous....Got your email. :)
Wendy-I already thought VA would be a great place to live, now adding a home theater...nice!
oh - this is funny, Mimi. I just saw this!
I hate T.V. Hate it. Loathe, despise, abhor, detest, and otherwise dislike it. But this is your blog, so I won't go on. ;)
But I love you, T.V. and all. ♥
Hmmm, you are describing my feelings about FB. Ha! Not really, but sort of :) Your comment made me smile ♥
I'm not a fan of FB either. :)
Sometimes, the only way to shut my brain off from obsessing about the endless to-do lists is to veg a little at night. I'm too tired to do anything else at that time anyway. And my girls love watching food shows with me! We've been watching Master Chef together lately. Love that time with them. We talk through the whole thing. :)
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