More About Television

My last post sparked a number of comments, most of them commenting on the television aspect, rather than on X’s complete lack of awareness of the world outside his work and home — which is what I was really complaining about. But so many comments about the TV made me want to talk about TV and our house.

I didn’t have a television for about ten years when I was in my 20s, and I didn’t miss it a bit. I got one in my early 30s, and have had one for six or seven years, now. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, we seldom turn it on.

When I have time, I like to catch House and Survivor; when we are at my mother’s we watch CSI and NCIS. And I watch the news in the morning as I pass through the living room while making breakfast and getting ready for work. I also watch the evening news — usually the local Fox channel, because it comes on at 9 instead of 10, and I have to be asleep by 10 or I’m worthless the next day. (Resulting from the July ’05 car accident.)

But it should be stated that I almost never just sit down and watch television. For example, last night, House was on. The kids were taking their baths and getting ready for bed, and I was sitting on the couch folding laundry while I “watched” House. “Listened to” House is more like it, really. And during the news, I balanced my two checkbooks (one regular account, one emergency-only account) and filed paperwork.

We have only one television in our house, and it’s kept in a corner cupboard in the living room. My kids only asked for a television for the playroom once, and I told them that it wasn’t needed. When they were playing, they should play — without the distraction and creativity-killing influence of the tube.

The one thing that we do “stop everything” for and turn on the TV is Friday Night Movies. At our house, we put in a video (sometimes rented, sometimes not), order in pizza, break out the ice cream, and sit on the living room rug together to watch a movie and enjoy time together. The kids really look forward to this time with me, and most weeks, I look forward to it, too. The rest of the week, I am multi-tasking and “getting things done.” This one night, I can do nothing. That’s nice.

When the kids are gone to their dad’s for visitation, I set up the ironing board and pop in “Mommy’s movies” to listen to while I iron and mend. “Mommy’s movies” are things like Sgt. Bilko, The Blues Brothers, Dirty Dancing … the things I don’t want the kids seeing until they are much older. Or things like ballet and opera, that the kids won’t watch with me.

Anyway, all that to say that the television isn’t on much at my house, and when it is on, we are generally not giving it our undivided attention. We are too busy.

Tags: chores, Family Life, television