We are going TV free for the month of June.
Most people who've heard me talk, know that I am really not a fan of television. I confess that I've been watching more lately. My list of "must see" shows consists of House, Bones, and lately The Office reruns which were running two back to back episodes on a local station. The difference between me and the rest of my family is that if I'm not home or there is something else to do, then I'm ok not watching the TV show.
I knew around the end of March that we were going to go a month without TV this summer. MrLivingOurWay decided that we should do it in June because "in July and August it's really too hot to do anything but sit inside and watch TV." He has been known to get up at 5am during those months to get his outside chores done and not go outside again until late evening. As someone who spent many summers earning money as a lifeguard outside in the summer months, I disagree and am hoping that the addiction to television will be broken and we will find better use of our time.
I couldn't expect my family to give up something that was going to be hard for them and not give up something that is equally hard for me so I'm giving up Facebook. Facebook is usually my window to the "real world" since I work at home and don't really get out much. It stays up in the background as I get my work done, probably slowing my progress.
This is not a new idea at all. I first heard of it from the Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV as a child. Laura at Getting There had Digital Detox week for her family in April. Her family did not use computers or TVs for a week. This is a great concept, except that we telecommute and I'm pretty sure that would not go over well with our company. Many people I know in real life are TV free and allow very limited computer access to their families.
Posts
Ask the Readers: Why Don’t People Talk About Money?
16 hours ago
Good for you! I'm sure you and your family will enjoy your tv-free month, once the initial strangeness wears off. I look forward to hearing all about it. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen TVland made the switch from analog to digital, we didn't follow along and haven't had TV since. We haven't missed it! We fill our evenings with handwork and DH reads out loud. We've been through the Little House series several times, the Ralph Moody books, lives of missionaries, "Rascal" by Sterling North, and now Herrick Kimball's "Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian."
ReplyDeleteWhen the kids were little, we started a Friday night tradition of homemade pizza with a rented (or library) video. Everyone looked forward to Friday nights and I've had both kids (all grown up and on their own now) turn down invitations from friends for Friday night activities, so they wouldn't miss pizza night at home!
I hope this experiment is a success for you.