Today begins National TV Turn-Off Week, when you're encouraged to kill your television. Calm down, now, you don't have to kill it forever! The point is to re-think why and how much you use your television. Why bother? Consider these statistics:
- Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
- Number of minutes/week parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
- Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
- Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
- Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
- Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66
I don't want anything to have that kind of influence on my kids. Or me! I've learned the hard way that I must be very careful what I give my attention to; I absolutely must be intentional about what I spend time thinking about, or unwholesome thoughts will take over.
"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8
There are many shows on television that I do enjoy, but it doesn't take long before I notice a change in my thinking. One of my former favorite shows tended to glorifies extra-marital affairs, and because of the way the storylines were portrayed, I found myself rooting for the "heroine", who was really the mistress. I don't want to think that's okay! Another of my favorite shows simply had me too on edge to sleep at night once it was over, because of all the dramatic tension of the plot! Not everyone is as sensitive to things like this as I am, but I do think it's something to consider. Until I stopped watching television, I didn't realize I was being so heavily influenced by it. From a different perspective of the same problem, just think of how easily kids start wanting something they see on a commercial, when they would never even have thought to want that thing on their own. I think those "wants" just show up differently with adults.
When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with your spouse or your children? I saw a billboard the other day that said, "The bus driver knows who your child has a crush on. Do you?" It reminded me of one of the many reasons I choose to homeschool, but even if you don't homeschool, the point is, just how much do you know about the daily lives of your own family members? What was the best and worst thing about their day today? What are their future hopes and dreams? Yes, it is certainly possible to have these kinds of conversations in a home with a television, but I'd definitely argue that they tend to be less frequent.
We do still own a television. It sits in a room upstairs, away from all our main living areas downstairs. There is no furniture in that room, unless you count an exercise ball and a stationary bike. We do have basic cable, but that is only because it comes with our high-speed internet service (which is a requirement for Ken's day job in IT). Once in a while, Ken and Kathryn will watch an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" while I'm hosting a weekly ladies' Bible study group. Occasionally we'll have a movie night, for something like Anne of Green Gables. But mostly, our 15-year-old 20-inch television is very lonely. And we're okay with that.
Maybe you're willing to try life without television, for at least a week. But what in the world will you do to entertain yourself??? I have some suggestions!
When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with your spouse or your children? I saw a billboard the other day that said, "The bus driver knows who your child has a crush on. Do you?" It reminded me of one of the many reasons I choose to homeschool, but even if you don't homeschool, the point is, just how much do you know about the daily lives of your own family members? What was the best and worst thing about their day today? What are their future hopes and dreams? Yes, it is certainly possible to have these kinds of conversations in a home with a television, but I'd definitely argue that they tend to be less frequent.
We do still own a television. It sits in a room upstairs, away from all our main living areas downstairs. There is no furniture in that room, unless you count an exercise ball and a stationary bike. We do have basic cable, but that is only because it comes with our high-speed internet service (which is a requirement for Ken's day job in IT). Once in a while, Ken and Kathryn will watch an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" while I'm hosting a weekly ladies' Bible study group. Occasionally we'll have a movie night, for something like Anne of Green Gables. But mostly, our 15-year-old 20-inch television is very lonely. And we're okay with that.
Maybe you're willing to try life without television, for at least a week. But what in the world will you do to entertain yourself??? I have some suggestions!
- Enjoy conversation with your spouse and your children.
- Spend more time savoring dinner.
- Go out for an ice cream.
- Play a board game.
- Read; enjoyable whether you choose to do so aloud, or individually. A little dramatic poetry reading can be fun, too!
- Go for a walk or bike ride.
- Play with your dog--we do this one frequently!
- Catch a jar full of lightning bugs (it's almost time for them)!
- Listen to an old-fashioned radio show, or let family members take turns as "DJ" to experience each other's taste in music.
- Look at the stars. Especially fun if you own (or can borrow) a telescope!
There are SO many other things you can do as well. For a while, we'd go outside to laugh and cheer as we watched Ken learn to ride a unicycle! Sometimes we enjoy working together in the flower garden. There are many more suggestions near the bottom of the page here.
So, what do you think? Will you try a week with no television?
So, what do you think? Will you try a week with no television?
