Cutting Back
Since daddy left about four months ago there has been a lot of television and movie watching around this house. First trimester yuckiness also added to the laziness around here, not to mention the extremely rainy summer. Sadly, the television has been on A LOT!
I have been thinking about cutting back for a long time but never had the real energy it takes to stick to my guns! All that has changed in the last two weeks. I do not know what did it but I am on a mission! I have found myself saying no just about all day long. We are far from where we should be. We still watch way to much but at least that box isn’t on all day long anymore. Even the Wii is on a break because it needs the television to be on to use it!
It has been hard. Like any addiction, it is hard to kick the habit. It takes more energy to use your imagination than it does to just sit and watch. Even though I have my 8 year old and 3 year old trying to convince me “it doesn’t rot their brain, they learn”, I am sticking to my guns! So, there have been a few tears. There has been a lot of “I’m bored!” There is still the constant asking. BUT there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My children are starting to play again. They are using their imaginations! Their toys are actually being played with! We are making progress.
The television is still on too much but we are moving ahead. Once we are in full school mode we will be cutting back even more. It is so refreshing to see my children playing, imagining, and learning rather than just sitting zombified in front of the television! It is hard but so very worth it!
Does any one else struggle with this in their home? If so, do you have any tips or tricks that made it easier?
Tags: Family, television Posted in Family
July 31st, 2010 at 4:12 pm
We gave the TV the boot years ago….maybe a decade now? It WAS tough at first…In the long run, we don’t regret it. We do have videos we watch with boundaries….and we have a play station – but it also only comes out about once a week….. We also limit computer use in the evenings….we found we didn’t have time to interact with the children as we liked with the other evening distractions….to say nothing of the junk on TV these days. We can find just about any special or educational program via the Internet these days….so we can pick what we want to watch and leave the rest.
July 31st, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Yup; same struggle here. We have to spend this coming week taming the beast so we can start school afresh the week after. My biggest “opponent” will be my 18-year-old graduate who seems to be completely unable to do anything useful with her free time.
How did we quit the addiction in the past? Well, overseas PCS moves always did the trick for a while; two or three months with NOTHING breaks the dependence like nothing else! Hmm….now that hubby’s retired, we’re going to have to find a new weapon against TV. Yuck.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:45 am
We had no TV for the first 8 years of marriage and children. Sometimes we do regret getting one. Our problem is we also get hooked on shows! Good for you for tightening up on it. I find having a schedule and set times when they can use the Play Station, TV and computer, helps us keep on the straight and narrow. I have to be firm with myself too ~ the internet is my downfall:-(
Twitter: cmclaire
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August 1st, 2010 at 1:55 am
I can imagine it’s a pretty big struggle. Good for you for sticking to your guns!
Cxx