No Television

So an interesting thing is happening in my house... We have gone from watching television everyday for as long as the kids could encourage me to let them, to watching maybe an hour every couple of days.

Why? My goodness the arguments, the disagreements over who has the remote or which show to watch or whose turn it is to pick. Then once everyone has agreed, when the show finishes it begins again, or it continues through the show. Plus what happens when the television is turned off after being on most of the afternoon? Arguments and whining that the television is not on, arguing with each other, lashing out, crying.

Now it was not my intention to stop watching the box, however during the last school holidays I greatly restricted access to the television, to the point of hiding the remotes so it couldn't accidentally go on in the morning. The kids had to do other things, play outside, read, draw, sit on their beds bored. And initially it was more whining about being bored than anything else. And it was a great holiday. I thoroughly enjoyed not having the television on at all hours and hearing my kids fight. So I kept it going.

We are now around 2 months down the track and I do not get harassed about the television. In fact I barely get asked at all about it. And when it is on there is very little to choose from. We do not have access to foxtel, or netflix or stan or any of those places. The television is quite a newer one and we can access youtube however I have seemingly got them hooked on Planet Earth type shows at the moment, when it does go on. The kids know they wont be watching the latest show, instead it will be something I pick. And what if they disagree? The box goes off.

This also seems to have had some effect on behaviour. There are disagreements still, however I found the kids would argue after watching television, about things that weren't related to television and it was awful. These disagreements are less. Do the kids still push each others buttons... sure however I don't feel like it is as bad as it was.

Positives... I have no idea what the latest show is and what I 'should' be watching. I can spend time getting house work done, playing with the kids or using my time to become more zero waste. I also think I will use less electricity everything is turned off at the wall, nothing is on standby.

Do not ask me what is happening in TV land, what the latest reality shows are up to or which celebrity is in which show, because chances are I have no idea what you are talking about. And I am happy with that.

Beckie