Splungeman Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 So last week we unplugged from movies, TV, and video games. This is sort of an update. After one week, my son is better behaved (not going wild in public), more polite, more interested in talking and asking questions, and has requested to do school every single day ever since...even on weekends when I work and he has the weekend off from school. So far he's done school with his mom twice, something he's never before requested. She is thrilled. I never thought it would make this big of a difference, but it has. I guess since he's no longer plugging in, he is seeking whatever mental stimulation he can find...and that's school. He also has been drawing more pictures and requesting more stories. So...if anyone here is having a hard time keeping their kids focused, try unplugging for awhile. It works wonders. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Congratulations! That's really good news. I'm hoping that we're slowly but surely getting there now that I'm not working, but I'm taking this week "off" to decompress, get this house and our new curriculum in order, and prepare for the plunge :D Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose_king Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 That sounds awesome! I would love that. Not so sure about hubby:glare:. Do you just unplug, or did you put completely away?:lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 :lol: And for those who unplug and suddenly their child starts talking to themself... they're playing (remember that?) and it's their imagination. :lol: It is okay, normal, even healthy. Dh and I both thought ds was losing it when we started hearing him talking to himself in his room. It took awhile to figure out he was playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 That sounds awesome! I would love that. Not so sure about hubby:glare:. Do you just unplug, or did you put completely away?:lurk5: We have done it sort of by default -- we moved back to our house and FIOS has not been installed b/c of the snow and difficulty arranging install dates -- We have been home since last Friday night and I have to say, I love it -- the kids have not complained, but they are waiting for some Netflix movies - but those are episodes of Animal Planet and stuff like that. DH has been so busy, it hasn't really mattered, but he is also away on travel the next few days. I am not sure what we will do come baseball season -- probably get FIOS just in our room so we can watch baseball -- but I am definitely convinced that we are better off without the TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Funny you posted this. I've been wanting to try a week of no computer... for me! I think my house would get a lot of attention and school would be done a lot sooner if I didn't have to go harvest my crops on Facebook...:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Good for you. We had a bit of an issue on Monday between DH and I over the TV. He enjoys watching sports and other things occasionally. We only have an antenna so there's not much to watch. Sometimes we do a show on DVD in the evenings. I hate TV though. Can't stand it! If it were me we'd watch a family movie on Satuday night and that's it. Well, Monday night DSD wanted to play the Wii so DH let her but she's not very good at video games so she couldn't do play by herself. DH was busy doing something on the computer and wasn't helping her. He got irritated with her for bugging him for help, she was crying because she couldn't play and because he was mad at her, and I was frustrated over having a sad kid and a grouchy DH. Whew. It was the perfect time to decide 'No screens during the week." Last night we all sat around and played with DH's old Legos as a family. Lots of fun. I'm hoping DH will see how aweome it is to be without a TV during the week and not want it back on himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We are going on 2 years of being unplugged! I dont miss any of the hassle! Dont miss TV one bit! We do occasionally do movies... generally 1 a night and 95% of the time educational and we watch them as a family after dinner before bed. It has really brought us much closer together and the kids are learning much more!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamperMom Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We gave our TV away four years ago. I believe it was one of the best decisions we've ever made, for our children and for us! Living without TV becomes as much of a habit as living with TV. We don't miss it. I wish I had grown up this way. Best wishes to those who are trying out life without TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 So last week we unplugged from movies, TV, and video games. This is sort of an update. After one week, my son is better behaved (not going wild in public), more polite, more interested in talking and asking questions, and has requested to do school every single day ever since...even on weekends when I work and he has the weekend off from school. So far he's done school with his mom twice, something he's never before requested. She is thrilled. I never thought it would make this big of a difference, but it has. I guess since he's no longer plugging in, he is seeking whatever mental stimulation he can find...and that's school. He also has been drawing more pictures and requesting more stories. So...if anyone here is having a hard time keeping their kids focused, try unplugging for awhile. It works wonders. Obviously, you wrote this just for me! One issue I'm mulling around in my head is my youngest, who has always been difficult, but it is really just ridiculous sometimes! The way he craves TV, movies or video games is really disturbing to me. There are limits on it, but he still asks, begs, pleads and makes himself a general nuisance about it every day. It disturbs me. I would really like to unplug totally for a month. My dh will never go for that. But I really do think littlest ds would benefit from not having those diversions at all for a good while. Hmmm. Food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 My littlest is the same way. She's only 2 and from the second she wakes up, the conversation goes like this. "Watch Dora?" "Dora's not on." She thinks for a second. "Watch Diego?" "Diego's not on." another pause. "Watch George?" "George isn't on." and down the list of all the shows she can think of that might be on TV for her to watch. I'm starting to think that it's time to cut her off. I have been using the TV as a babysitter during school time because she is a major distraction because she can't not talk, but I think I'm going to have to try something else with her and put the TV off limits for at least the mornings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We are 4 years without TV and about 6 months without Wii. Watching a movie has become a huge hassle (DVD player not working...have to watch through DH's laptop) so that almost never happens. It is by far the best thing I have ever done for my kids...not kidding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Very cool, Cammie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Cammie, What was happening in your family that you decided to get rid of the Wii??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We didn't connect out TV 10 years ago, when the kids were 4 and 6. For a while they still watched a lot of videos and then I cut those down. Computer games for 15 minutes a day or save up for 1 half hour after piano practice. It's really worked for us. Now they are teens and I have to remind them that there work needs to be done before checking e mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 So how does everyone talk a spouse into this??? I can hardly get DH to stay off his computer games during school hours - and he knows that distracts the kids. (DH works nights, so he is up for part of school time.) But maybe its time to be more strict. We don't watch TV, but we (DH & I) spend time on the computer. Maybe I'll start turning mine off all day .... :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Cammie, What was happening in your family that you decided to get rid of the Wii??? Actually, that was the easy one - the Wii DIED!! DH picked it up in the US about a year ago. Kids loved it and DH played it. One day - it stopped working. DH (engineer) checked online for a fix and said that there wasn't anything we could do. :001_huh: If we were back in US maybe we could get it fixed but probably not here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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