TV or not TV

Next week (April 23-29) is turn off your TV week. I'm not a huge watcher of TV. Many nights I watch 1 show. Some nights I don't watch any. I watch the most when I'm folding laundry. Most often I start to watch something, and then wander off to do something else. CSI, American Idol, King of the Hill, The Sopranos, Spongebob, ...an occasional Whose Line, or Actor's Studio... that's about it.

My kids, on the other hand, watch a lot of TV. They really like it. If the weather is good, I make them shut it off, but for the most part, Nickelodeon or Toon Disney is usually on every afternoon. It's occurred to me a more than a few times, maybe they watch too much. Maybe I should restrict it more. If for no other reason, there's the link between weight problems and TV watching.

A friend of mine makes her kids earn tickets to watch TV. For every 1/2 hour of reading or chores they do, they earn a ticket redeemable for 30 minutes of TV time. Which is a great idea, but keeping track of it all seems too much like work, to me. Our neighbors don't let their kids watch any TV during the week, and limit it to 2 hours per weekend.

One of the only areas where Aaron and I butt heads over parenting is about what kind of DVDs the kids get to watch (the other area is what time they go to bed). He lets them watch some PG-13 movies, which I adamantly oppose. I say, it's PG-13 for a reason. I don't care if our 4 year-old loves Spiderman, I don't want him watching the movie, even if Aaron fast-forwards through the scary parts, which sometimes he forgets to do, because they're not scary if you're 41. I don't want our 8 year-old watching it either, because? Not 13! Maybe if I make a huge issue about it, it'll divert our kids' teen rebellion. Instead of sex or drugs, they'll sneak into R-rated movies. Think it'll work?

I won't make my kids go cold turkey next week, but I probably will cut it down to a show a day (when I tell them, there will be rending of garments and sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and maybe an attempted coup). How 'bout you? How much TV do you, or your kids watch? If you have kids, how do you monitor their TV habits?

Comments

[kyran]

My kids watch a thousand per cent more tv than I ever dreamed. I think I'm gonna have to go post about it myself.

[Laylabean]

My girls have limits on "screen time" which means TV, GameBoy, and the computer (for non-school play) combined. Normally we limit screen time during the week to one hour per day. There are days we're over and days we're under so it balances out in the end.

It's harder to regulate on the weekends or when they're on school vacation and bored though and there are those days they go way over. My kids don't watch TV so much as they like to play computer games or visit kid sites on the Internet. Our parental controls are dialed up so high sometimes I can't get into my email!

As for movies, it's G or PG for them, though my 8-year-old has seen bits of Lord of the Rings and Pirates. They don't even like the scary parts of the first Harry Potter movie so they aren't much interested in pursuing more grown-up movies. We have a strict no R-rated movie policy for anyone in our house so that's never been a problem.

Yeah, this is an interesting topic, Sheryl. I might have to post about it too. You trendsetter, you!

[Jennifer]

When I was a kid our earliest limit was half an hour a week. Of course, there were five black and white channels and the TV was smaller than the monitor I'm sitting at now (and I'm only 37!!).

Then it went up to a show a week, even if it was an hour. Then it was an hour a week, even if it was two shows. Etc. By high school we had cable and were allowed to make our own decisions.

We don't have cable and my girls don't watch any TV at all here at home. We do own and rent videos, but I'm pretty strict on the content. It's violence, not sexual innuendo that I feel is inappropriate, which is too bad because whoever rates kids' movies sure has different views on those two subjects. (Not that I want to go out looking for ways to expose my kids to sex, but I'm less concerned about them being exposed to something that presumably will one day be a positive part of their lives, than to something that I hope they never ever experience or commit...)

We've been dramatically UNsuccessful at limiting the quantity of TV they watch at my mother in law's house though. I think the content is relatively tame, but neither the children nor my in-laws seem to be willing or able to respect or enforce limits.

Yeah, I have opinions on this topic! I've posted about it one, two, three times myself...

[coolbeans]

I like watching t.v. But I wish I didn't. When I'm 80, am I going to be so glad I watched that Dog the Bounty Hunter marathon instead of going to the library or the park or taking a nap or playing Scrabble? I doubt it. But it's so easy and I'm so lazy and Leland is hot.

I hated how much my kids watched when we had Disney and Cartoon Network. We recently dropped our satellite service and I'd love to never, ever pay for t.v. again. My husband is a hardcore television addict. (If you don't believe it's a drug, come watch my husband in front of the television.) Movies are a big problem here, as well. Spiderman and Star Wars, etc. They're so violent. Our littlest is much more interested in combative play than my others were. I believe it's part personality, part watching movies his dad and brother like.

One thing we've done in the past is have a regular television free day. I've written about it here. My kids thought it would be horrible, but when we get out of the habit, they're the ones who suggest we pick it up again.

[Amanda]

Hello primary source of my motherly guilt! I used to keep a strict no tv from 9 to 5 rule for my son. Then I had another baby, took on two additional writing jobs and it all went to hell.

When I read about shut off your tv week, I thought about trying it and then realized there would be very little for ME to gain from it. It would be torture. TV helps me get through the day with two little ones. I would have zero time to write if I didn't have it on at least some of the day. You know, like right now.

[kyran]

Amanda, no wonder you get the writing jobs; it took you less than 100 words to say what I just posted in about 1,000.

Thanks for the prompt, anyhow, Sheryl (I linked back to you). When it is National Feed Your Child Vegetables Week, I don't want to hear about it.

:)

[olga]

a few years ago on turn your tv off week we stuck our tv under the stairs so there would be no temptation to turn it on, we left it there till Dec. I had some Christmas movies I wanted to watch so we hauled it out and turned it on and the picture was gone, only sound. We threw it into a dumpster and have been t.v-less ever since. Has it been pleasent,fun etc? no, sometimes I would chew off my right arm to watch something, but you get use to it. Everyone had withdrawls but we lived to tell about it. We do watch dvd's from the library( I'm a cheapsake)on the computer and I preveiw pg-13 to make sure they aren't full of swearing and SEX! I have only found 2. I limit computer time to 1hr for each child, they hate me for it. I tell them when they are grown-up they are free to make their own choices, untill then, I RULE! HEH HEH HEH.

[lizardek]

My kids actually watch TV pretty rarely...it's the computer time we have to monitor and restrict, otherwise they could play games all damn day. Of course, it's hard to restrict them when *I* am on the computer so much myself!!

[amy]

I find this an interesting topic. I definitely limit screen time and my kids are 18 and 15! I used to have the rule 1 - 2 hours day when they were toddlers - KG because that saved my sanity when they watched Sesame Street in the morning and Barney or something in the afternoon so I could shower or make dinner or something. Once they started school it was 1 hour day total, and that worked until about middle school when they wanted to play PS2 etc so then it was still 1 hr, and they could choose the game or the tv.

The one rule now that they are older is I have to know WHY they are watching tv. Is it a special show? An important sports event? I do not want them vegging away in front of the tv with mindless crap. The boy drives me crazy because he watches a lot of sports games, and you know they are not 1 hour. So I have to bend a bit if it is an important game. DVR has seriously saved my sanity. I now require him to DVR most games UNLESS it is absolutely the playoffs or everyone is coming over to watch in real time.

If they want to watch a movie, I am strict about which movie (18 year old obviously watches what she wants now -- in college) but the 15 year old needs to get my approval. I also always was careful about ratings and am very very happy -- neither kid had nightmares or sleeping issues EVER, and I am convinced that many of my friends' kids nightmares etc... often have to do with scary or inappropriate stuff. On the other hand I do allow certain R rated movies if I know why they are rated R. Sometimes it is a weird reason like the F word was used 2x or something. Othertimes PG 13 is way too violent. Go figure. I usually also pre screen any movie I am unsure about or watch it with the kids so I can explain things. Neither kid was into the computer in the sense that yes, they IM and all, but not crazy about my space or any of that stuff.

I know it seems to be hard to make them limit their screen time and I do not judge other moms who have many many children or who work frantic hours and need some personal space, but if you can, telling them go play outside or go to the gym or park (again, I know where some people live this is not reasonable)or read a book etc...all these things are great alternatives. Last when they hit high school they are usually so involved in sports, dance, homework, etc... that they honestly should not have time for more than 1 hour a night!

[Ellen]

When my kids were young (now college age & older) I used to love turn-off-the-tv week, not because my kids watched so much, but my husband watched it constantly. Aahhh..the blessed silence. During the week we'd play boardgames after dinner, if homework was done. Sports practice ate up a lot of time, and playing outside was always fun. Do it. Enjoy it. It's a whole 'nother lifestyle!

[DM]

Um, yeah. Once again I am in the minority when I say that I let my child watch whatever he wants. He never seems to be interested in anything but nature shows though. He can spend hours watching anything underwater. Or sometimes food. It depends.

I've mentioned that my child is a cat, right? And the thought of going without TV makes me shudder.