A TV-less Existence

Well, that title is only half true.  My children are now mostly TV-less, but my hubs and I are not. 

We had our TV in the living room because that was really the only place for it.  In my ideal world, we would have a house with a family room where the TV would go.  Anyways, with it being in the living room it was very easy to put on a show for the girls to occupy them.  Some days we watched more than others, some days we watched hardly at all.  But we recently got Netflix on our Wii and Abby figured out how to start shows.  Once they were going, it was very easy to keep them going, just a press of the button.

Well it got very bad.  They just wanted to watch show after show after show.  If I wouldn't let her, she would throw a huge fit.  And by huge, I do mean huge.  And she wouldn't forget either.  I could put her in time outs for hours (well, not literally) but she would still come out and see the TV and start all over again. 

I found it hard to stand firm and not let them watch any.  I was giving in way more than I wanted to.  So I decided that drastic measures were needed.  I thought about completely getting rid of the TV.  It is really just a waste of time anyways.  But I knew that my husband wouldn't like that.  Sometimes we talk about living simply, living with just the basics.  We talk about the evils of TV and such, but he isn't quite ready to get rid of it just yet.  And if I'm truthfiul I do like to watch it too.  Just not quite to the same extent.

When I was a child we didn't really have cable tv, and didn't watch much of it.  We went through spurts of having cable.  Whereas in his family, it was like a normal thing for them to watch TV all afternoon and evening.  I don't want to live that life.

But that's a bunny trail.  So since I couldn't just dump the TV in the trash I had to move it out of my girls' sight.  So now it is in our bedroom.  I could write a whole big rant on how I have always hated the idea of TVs in the bedroom and all the evils of it.  But there was simply no other place for it.  We crowded our dressers together and made room for the entertainment centre.  And no matter how much I hate the TV in our room, it is SOOOOOO worth it for the difference in my girls.

I was prepared for big fits about the TV not being in the living room.  I was ready for them to look everywhere to find it and finally sit screaming in front of the wall where the TV used to be.  But shockingly, all that Abby said was "TV gone?"  And that was it.

Now they are playing again.  It feels so good.  Yes, sometimes I wish it was still there (especially the immediate day after since I got very sick), it used to be easy to occupy them when I needed a minute to myself.  But it also makes me have to be there more for them.  Which is something I always wish I would do more, and now I have to so it's good for me too.