Comments (15)

By Mom Unplugged, February 5, 2009 9:33 pm

I am depriving my children of an “essential good.”

In Brazil, I might be prosecuted in court. Did anyone hear this little NPR blurb yesterday?

A Brazilian man missed out on soccer matches, the news and a “popular reality show,” when a store did not replace his faulty TV. The judge found in favor of the man, ruling that in modern times, TV is an “essential good.”

Are those of us who do not have TV in our homes, guilty of child abuse? Are we depriving our little ones of an “essential good?”

What about those whose children (TV in the house or not) miss Sponge Bob, Hannah Montana and PBS. OK, Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana are arguable…but PBS? What about Discovery? Is censorship of our children depriving them of an “essential good?”

Am I depriving my children of educational/cultural experiences by not having TV at all?

I wish we could elect to get a few select Discovery Channel, National Geographic, PBS, History Channel shows without receiving all the other stuff. But even those channels can be edgy at times. We were away recently and the only thing on History (or was it Discovery?) was the history of torture devices. Another of those educational channels had a show about Hitler.

I am not depriving my children by having a TV-free home. Culturally they get a lot on the playground: they know about Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana. As far as education goes, my kids get a huge amount of that from school and reading books, just like kids did before TV.

Am I depriving my children of an “essential good?” Personally, I think not.

Comments (8)

By Mom Unplugged, October 18, 2008 9:13 am

Many times when people find out that we have no TV they look at me as if I am from another planet. I suppose to them, it is as if I am saying that we have no indoor plumbing, or running water. TV has become as much a part of our lives nowadays as central heat and a flush toilet. Most people take TV for granted and view it as one of life’s necessities.

However, just because I have no TV does not mean that I am a luddite. Obviously I love my computer and my high-speed internet access (perhaps too much). Technology can be a wonderful thing, but like many wonderful things, I believe that it is best used in moderation.

Deciding to adopt an unplugged lifestyle is a matter of degree. The one extreme would be no TV, videos, computer…nothing with a screen…EVER. The other end of the unplugged spectrum is to allow the use of all those things, but in moderation.

For those of us who do wish to live some form of screen-free life, the degree to which we do so is very much a matter of personal choice. What works for one individual or family, might not work for another.

My family is somewhere in the middle. Although we are without a TV signal here in this remote part of Arizona (having chosen not to install cable or satellite), we do own “the box” which I inherited from my mother. I allow occasional videos or DVDs. I also allow some limited computer time for the two oldest who like to play educational games. We have no TV-based video games and I even try to avoid loud talking, flashing toys. I prefer quiet ones that offer more open-ended, imaginative play.

When we are away from home and someplace with a TV, I allow the kids to watch some. They find this totally fascinating and consider it a big treat. What’s more, they’ll watch ANYTHING and are just as happy watching the Food Network as they are PBS Kids.

So for anyone who has been lurking here because you are considering reducing or eliminating screens from your family’s life, I hope you feel encouraged by this post. It never occurs to many people that it is all simply a matter of degree!

You don’t have to cut it all off. You don’t have to do it cold turkey. You don’t have to rip out your plumbing and build an outhouse.

My advice: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Adjust your screen time until you find just the right balance for you and your children.

Comments (9)

By Mom Unplugged, September 16, 2008 9:14 pm

I just discovered this bit of “news.” Disney and its ABC broadcast subsidiary have declared the week of September 21st to be Stay at Home and Watch TV Week! They feel that this would encourage Americans to protect the environment by staying home and conserving gas.

Oh, and that just happens to be the week that Disney and ABC will launch its new series. Coincidence? Screentime.org (organizers of the annual Turnoff Week) thinks not.

Screentime.org is encouraging people to join in its first ever fall Turnoff Week. When? The week of September 21st of course!

Here is a quote from screentime.org:

They [Disney] are making this a playful campaign, highlighting family time and fun, but the reality is ABC and Disney are broadcasters with a host of cable channels (many directed at children) that are instruments to sell advertising. ESPN, a Disney/ABC company, knowing that many of their viewers are children, will not even consider limiting the advertising of beer and other products that are not appropriate for children. So, Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness, with the short lead time we have, is launching a BIG test to see if we can get people to hold our first “September Turnoff,” starting on September 21st. All we ask is that you pick a day, or two or three that week and “turnoff” all the screens.

So, if you have been on the bubble about turning off the TV or other screens in your life, or if you worry sometimes about the effects of networks, big corporations, or advertisers on your children, now may be the time to try going without TV (or other screens) for a day or more.

If you feel REALLY strongly about this and have an opinion to share, screentime.org is holding an international conference call tomorrow (Wednesday, September 17th) at 3PM Eastern Standard Time. Here is more detailed information from the screentime.org website:

The call in numbers are as follows:

Conference Dial-in Number: (269) 320-8000

Participant Access Code: 921805#

All are welcome to join the call, please invite others to join us as well. Ideally, those who can put small groups together would be helpful, but individuals are welcome. There is a great deal to discuss and your comments are important to us.

We hope to speak with you soon!

Comments (6)

By Mom Unplugged, June 2, 2008 10:04 pm

One thing I am coming to realize is that without TV in my life (going on 7 years now), I have become extremely sensitive to noise.

Of course sometimes I am in the mood for some music to lift my spirits, or a podcast to fire up my lazy neurons, and I always try to listen to the morning and evening news on NPR in order to feel informed.

But quite honestly, more often than not, these days I choose silence.

I like to hear the furnace turning on and off, the cockatiels making their happy beak-grindings before they drift off for a nap, the wind rustling the tall pines that surround my house, the squeak of the living room floor in that one particular place as I walk across it.

I find that if I am surrounded by extraneous sounds all day, even if it is merely the pleasant melody of music, I get crabby and fatigued.

This post won’t change the world. It’s just a random thought about life without TV.

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(Photo thanks to morguefile.com and photographer Wally Irwin.)

Comments (7)

By Mom Unplugged, May 28, 2008 8:01 pm

It was with great interest that I read all the final posts of the 2nd Annual TV-Turnoff Week Blog Challenge participants: 28 final posts in all. There were really some remarkable similarities among the reports. It was quite fascinating to me!

Here is a summary of my general impressions from those final posts:

1) On Day One, there was often some rebellion from the children which seemed to settle down rapidly by Day Two.

2) The importance of weather: many participants had wonderful weather that week and they had positive experiences. For those who experienced rainy days, it was more challenging.

3) Also - weekdays seemed easier than weekends for most. For those who “fell off the wagon” during the Challenge, it was usually on a weekend.

4) A surprising number of people (nearly everyone??) saw noticeably better behavior from their children, even after just a few days.

5) In addition to positive behavioral changes, a number of people noticed their children playing more imaginatively and independently without the TV as an option.

6) Many reported that their children seemed to be in better moods and that there were fewer sibling squabbles taking place.

7) Most husbands were harder to unplug than the kids!

8) Apparently most of us who maintain blogs are computer addicts. Almost everyone said beforehand that they were more worried about unplugging themselves, than unplugging their children! It seems that staying off the computer was quite challenging for many, but I did note a few bits of wisdom that I would like to pass along:

- A few people said that they thought that their spending less time on the computer actually brought out better behavior in their children. Having more attention from Mom (or Dad…but I think this was mostly Moms who took part) seemed to settle the kids down.

- One Mom admitted that even if she was busy with other things and still not paying a whole lot of attention to her children, the fact that she was not on the computer gave her kids “an illusion of attention” that was beneficial. (Sorry I don’t remember exactly who said that, but it is a wonderful observation!)

- Another person said that they realized that even though it seems faster to look things up online, it really isn’t because once they sit down at the computer they get sucked into other things like checking email, etc. This blogger said that from now on she will try to pull out the phone book for a number rather than try to look it up quickly online. (Kayris - The Great Walls of Baltimore)

CONCLUSION:

The general feeling of most participants: the TV-free week made them realize how easy it is to just turn on the TV or pop in a video, without giving it much thought. It seems that the week taught most people the importance of mindfulness. It is not really a matter of turning it all off completely and forever, but to use TV mindfully, to be aware of when and why the TV is being used in the family.

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There you have it! My unscientific impressions of what I read in the participants’ final posts. If you want to read the posts yourself, you can find the links here.

Thanks again to all who bravely joined the 2nd Annual TV-Turnoff Blog Challenge!