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 (16)

By Mom Unplugged, June 12, 2008 8:03 pm

Something to think about:

In the United States -

• 19% of children aged 1 and under have a TV in their bedroom.
• 29% of children aged 2-3 have a TV in their bedroom.
• 43% of children aged 4-6 years have a TV in their bedroom.

And this:

“I watch CSI…[S]he sits down and watches with me. I don’t know how harmful it is to her. It’s something gory, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. She hasn’t had any nightmares from it.”

-Mother of a 1-3 year old, Irvine, California

Statistics and quote from a Kaiser Family Foundation study entitled: The Media Family: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Their Parents

++++++++++++

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.

++++++++++++++++++++

(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.

++++++++++++++++++++

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!

Comments (1)

By Mom Unplugged, May 13, 2008 2:26 pm

In all the business of life, I have not yet gotten around to sharing the TV-Turnoff Week story of Mom of 2, a reader who participated in the TV-Turnoff Week Blog Challenge by email. Here is her wrap up (which she sent promptly on April 28th, sorry I am so late!):

+++++++++++++++

“We did really well through the week (though things kind of collapsed on Sunday), and it was surprisingly easy! My 4 year old got really excited by the idea that, as I told him, “lots of people are not watching TV this week.” and didn’t ask a single time to watch TV!

I put up a NO TV sign on the TV cabinet to remind us not to watch, which he loved because it started with N, just like his name. The only protest was a short tantrum one morning by my 2 year old when his brother started talking about the No TV sign and he perked up at the mention of TV and was mad that I wouldn’t turn it on.

Saturday morning the kids wanted to play a computer game, but when I said that part of the no TV week was also no computer, they moved on to other things. They spent the afternoon and evening at a birthday party, where I suspect at least one video was watched, though they only talked about the bounce house and all the presents the birthday boy received. That night, I came in from dinner with a friend to find my husband watching TV and pointed out it was still no TV week. He argued that it only applied to Monday - Friday.

Sunday morning I slept in and got up to find the kids parked in front of the TV. Hey, what happened to no TV week? I asked. It’s the weekend, it’s over my 4 year old said. Hmmm….where had I heard that before?

So after a week without TV, we’ve decided that we’ll keep it off in the mornings before daycare. It just makes it easier to get out of the house. We’ll also experiment with turning it off earlier in the evenings, as having more attention from mom & dad leading up to bedtime did seem to help the kids settle down to sleep more quickly.

I also realized what a constant presence it’s become on the weekends. I’ll have to plan more activities so we don’t turn it on just because there isn’t anything else planned.

Mom of 2″

++++++++++++

Mom of 2′s experience is quite similar to many of the other final posts that I read. I will definitely put up a summary post of my impressions of the participants’ experiences soon.

Thank you again to Mom of 2 for deciding to join us via email!