mo2 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I rarely watch TV, but it seems like it is always on at our house. Any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Cold turkey. I unplug it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 My boy must ask before turning the TV on. I have removed channels I do not want him watching from the favorites list. Instead I record (DVR) a few shows he likes and he watches them for TV time. I only keep two episodes of a show at one time. During a school year, I do not allow any TV until we are completely done with the day's work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghanL Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Turn it off. :) I know, easier said than done right? After the first day of whining for it, kids will *always* find something else to occupy their time. I promise! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 We got rid of it. I did it when things were busy so it felt easier. I do allow the kids to watch a DVD or netflix on the computer but only at 4:30, and until I put dinner on the table. No arguments. No negotiating. Makes it much easier to have firm boundaries. I have a friend who seems to be constantly negotiating TV with her kids. It looks exhausting. I also don't make it too comfortable. They watch on the laptop at the computer desk on hard chairs. No lounging on the couch watching a huge screen with a sound system. We don't have cable so there isn't much choice. It is all disk or netflix streaming. The kids have never seen commercial TV. They don't even understand how it works, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Getting rid of it is certainly the easiest way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Move to a small town where PBS is the only channel, or get rid of it altogether. It doesn't completely break you of the habit because I love PBS, but we don't watch it very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 No TV, for anyone (even me) until 4pm. (DH has his own office/ floor in the house so he does what he wants.) Bedtime for the younger kids is 7pm (with lights out at 9) so that's 3 hours a day max they can watch. My teens sometimes watch movies at night but I'm very strict about the not-before-4pm rule. Weekends are typically a free for all, I don't put limits on TV. When the younger ones are awake and within view, though, it has to be G rated. I hope this helps! (Meant to add, the above was a compromise to getting rid of it entirely, which DH refuses to do.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 No TV, for anyone (even me) until 4pm. (DH has his own office/ floor in the house so he does what he wants.) Bedtime for the younger kids is 7pm (with lights out at 9) so that's 3 hours a day max they can watch. My teens sometimes watch movies at night but I'm very strict about the not-before-4pm rule. Weekends are typically a free for all, I don't put limits on TV. When the younger ones are awake and within view, though, it has to be G rated. I hope this helps! (Meant to add, the above was a compromise to getting rid of it entirely, which DH refuses to do.) This is like us, except it's 5pm here and we have the caveat of allowing educational shows on before that. We're watching an episode of Engineering An Empire tomorrow and I'm good with having the tv on in the middle of the afternoon for it. When we made the rule The Kid balked but now he's heard my pat answer so many times he's actually following it: "We want you to have the time to explore different interests and you can't do that if you're vegging out". TBH, the tv rarely comes on in the evening, either, now. It's the custom here to take a rest period in the afternoon so we follow suit most days and then build up our activity again in the early evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom32boys Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 We recently got rid of cable (and DVR), so now we only get a few channels. We've watched a lot less TV since doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I got rid of the satellite / cable subscription. That pretty much fixed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Cold turkey. I unplug it. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 OK, I probably should have said in the first place that there is no way my husband would go for getting rid of it. :) No TV, for anyone (even me) until 4pm. (DH has his own office/ floor in the house so he does what he wants.) Bedtime for the younger kids is 7pm (with lights out at 9) so that's 3 hours a day max they can watch. My teens sometimes watch movies at night but I'm very strict about the not-before-4pm rule. Weekends are typically a free for all, I don't put limits on TV. When the younger ones are awake and within view, though, it has to be G rated. I hope this helps! (Meant to add, the above was a compromise to getting rid of it entirely, which DH refuses to do.) This does help. If you can't go cold turkey or throw it out, make a couple of rules. 1. The TV is not allowed to be turned on until after x o'clock. At our house, that is 6. 2. The TV is not allowed to be in a main living area of the house. 3. The TV is not allowed to be on during a meal or when we have company (except that we do make exceptions on this one when we have multi-age kid groups over. We let the littles watch Looney Toons). Good rules. When we lived in a larger house, the TV was in the family room in the basement. Well, the kids didn't like to be in the spider-infested basement by themselves, so they didn't watch much. Now we live in a tiny house, and the only place the TV *can* be is in the living room. "We want you to have the time to explore different interests and you can't do that if you're vegging out". I may steal your answer if you don't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I once had a friend tell me that her dad would unplug the tv every summer. Thought it was a great idea and ran with it! Unplugged at the end of May and have not had it on since, not for movies or anything. Even put Netflix on hold. And we are a family who watched it ALL the time every day. I, myself, love television!! I am amazed how much fun we have had as a family since turning it off! I thought it would a more difficult adjustment, but it has been surprisingly easy. Plan to allow it again after Labor Day but we shall see. Definitely will be limiting it more if so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Something that will help to set you up for success is to plan an activity for after dinner. In the summer, we take a walk after dinner until dark, or the kids jump on the trampoline until the mosquitoes come out. In the winter, we play board games after dinner. In the morning there is no tv until the school work is done. On hot days, I let the kids watch shows from itunes or nteflix in the afternoon, but otherwise they have to go outside to play after school work before any tv viewing. This cuts down on the tv watching in our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I have some friends who only allow the TV on when it is dark outside. Again, it cuts down on the questioning. Can I watch tv? Look outside and there is your answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I have lowered our cable to the least expensive package. I also unplug the TV and tell the kids it's broken. It's amazing what they find to do when the TV is broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 I have some friends who only allow the TV on when it is dark outside. Again, it cuts down on the questioning. Can I watch tv? Look outside and there is your answer. Neat idea. I also unplug the TV and tell the kids it's broken. I am certain that my kids would investigate a broken TV and discover that it was simply unplugged. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I would say that it doesn't come on before a certain time or after a certain time. Additionally, you might pick a time limit. We turn our tv on for the first time (most days) at 4pm. It goes off as soon as that show ends (no commercials seen before, during or after). It can be turned back on later if the adults decide so. There is usually a choice of show at that point though we do tend towards the channel with no commercials for products. So some days, they watch 2 shows. They know not to badger us for the 2nd show though. The first show is rarely missed if we are home. Anyway, these are children who were sat in front of tv as a way to control them. They completely zone out regardless of what is on. They will watch anything, but they tend to try to demand "their shows." They would watch tv from dawn to midnight if given the choice. It just isn't. They struggled at first and we had a LOT more behaviors as they got "bored." But they eventually got used to it. Yours will too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Turn it off. Have particular hours that it can be on. In our house that would be 4pm until dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Easy! Sell it! We did for one year when our son seemed waaaay too interested in it. It worked. :) My kids need to ask permission before they watch, and we rarely allow television during the week during the school year, except for movie night with Dad or if someone is sick. Weekends, they get a total of 2 hours screen time each day (computer games or television). My suggestion is to unplug it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I am certain that my kids would investigate a broken TV and discover that it was simply unplugged. ;) We have no tv channels, haven't for several years. But how we watch movies can be so complicated it's just easier to go to the neighbors house to watch tv. :tongue_smilie: We got our current tv from the side of the street, someone was throwing it out, so no remote. That means to switch between the video options we have to use the five buttons on the front of the tv (menu, channel up and down, volume up and down) We have three different things to plug into the tv. The gaming system that let's us play dance dance revolution, the DVD player, and something that looks like a black box with no buttons. It let's us watch tv shows we have on out computer server in the basement. Before watching anything you usually have to rewire the thing you are using (DVD player, black box) to the tv. Redo the menu system. Unplug the other in the room. Plug in the tv. Oh, and for one of our things if you start fastfowrading or rewinding your show you can't stop it. And have to turn everything off and start over. So we don't watch much, to complicated. And my kids wouldn't know how to turn on a show if they wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Cold turkey. I unplug it. :iagree: And put it out of sight. Have some outdoor activities planned at first, and get a good read aloud going (right now we are enthralled with Barbara Leonie Picard's Iliad and Odyssey.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowperch Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) How far do you want to go? If you are game, just get rid of it. Use the cable money for something fun the family can enjoy. You can still watch movies and important news events on your computer. we love being tv-free. We watch the occasional movie when we choose to. movies are a special treat here, and that works fine. I'm not all that great at setting and keeping limits, so not having one in the house is best for us. as others have posted, you might want to institute a big change like this during a busy, happy time. You family will adjust quicker than you think. Edited July 20, 2011 by yellowperch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 At my house, it's the daddy that has it on most of the time. No matter how I've pleaded over the years, it's been to no avail. I would rather live without TV altogether, but not so with him. <sigh> Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (right now we are enthralled with Barbara Leonie Picard's Iliad and Odyssey.) Oh...this sounds good (sorry for the hijack)--my sons loved MPO's The Odyssey and I've been looking for something I can read aloud to them. Off to search Amazon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I find cold turkey works the best. I frequently unplug my kids from all electronics. It does wonders for their attitudes. I am fairly strict with the tv during the school year. No tv before 5 pm on school days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Just slip out the back jack Make a new plan Stan No need to be coy Roy Just get yourself free :D I agree with pp. We just canceled cable and that was that. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) Just slip out the back jackMake a new plan Stan No need to be coy Roy Just get yourself free :D There's fifty ways to leave your TV As for us, we moved the TV in the basement. Out of sight. Get a small Tv, put it in a cupboard. Whoever wants to watch the tv has to drag it out to the living room, do the cabling, and return the tv to the cupboard once done. Edited July 20, 2011 by CleoQc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 sounds like you like the white noise. Turn on a radio and keep it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 sounds like you like the white noise. Turn on a radio and keep it down. We have our local classical station on much of the day. The volume varies. We sometimes bet on who the composer will be. Kiddo has gotten pretty good with picking out the greats, and the eras, too. (And he doesn't even know he gets school credit for it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhg Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 www.tvallowance.com is great for this. But I didn't spend the $99 on it. What I did was go to Ace Hardware and buy a chain and and a lock. I close the entertainment center doors andran the chain through the handles on each door and applied the lock. I have to enter a code to unlock it. It makes it (opening the doors/turning it on) more deliberate/less automatic, so it has made me more careful. I only allow 45 minutes a day Mon thru Friday and 2 hours on either Saturday or Sunday (to allow for a movie choice). It's worked well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 We have our local classical station on much of the day. The volume varies. We sometimes bet on who the composer will be. Kiddo has gotten pretty good with picking out the greats, and the eras, too. (And he doesn't even know he gets school credit for it.) You give credit? :001_huh: Really? I never give credit. Huh, maybe I should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 You give credit? :001_huh: Really? I never give credit. . I have a time method. I added up all the time in WTM for each year and we cover it in a year. Music, for our age, is 36 hours a year. We do it easily. For simple things like art and music, I have 36 circles, and I color in the time we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have a time method. I added up all the time in WTM for each year and we cover it in a year. Music, for our age, is 36 hours a year. We do it easily. For simple things like art and music, I have 36 circles, and I color in the time we do. Man, now I feel bad. I've not been giving them credit. I'll start. Sounds like a good plan you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I find cold turkey works the best. I frequently unplug my kids from all electronics. It does wonders for their attitudes. I am fairly strict with the tv during the school year. No tv before 5 pm on school days. That's what we've found as well. Even with a small amount of daily screen time, we have behavior issues- surliness, fighting, boredom, whining. So we turned it off. They might watch a movie while we eat pizza on Friday nights, or we might not. I might have a documentary on the computer while I'm cleaning up the kitchen that they watch a bit, but that's rare. They play Wii at the Y, we have no video games here, except Leapsters they lose (misplace,'forget about) for months at a time. TV doesn't go on until they're in bed. They go to be at 8. When we first banned it, my husband would turn it on the moment they went upstairs. Now, sometimes, it's after 10 before we put it on. Of course, there are exceptions. If there is illness in the house, they may lay around dozing in front of a movie. My kids are rarely sick, though. There was one cold (which I brought home from a lovely, sharing coworker), and one stomach bug (which I escaped) in the past year and a half. So if they're sick it's a Big Deal. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Sorry, can't edit,I'm on my phone. I was watching the Duggars season available on Netflix a couple weeks ago and there was a little caption about how they are very restrictive about tv; the kids only watch about 7 hours / week! My kids don't rack up 7 hours a month. One area where *I* am more conservative than the Duggars! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Don't want to hijack, but what about if your DH refuses to turn it off?? My DH will NOT get rid of the tv. We have been without cable for 3 years, but he must ALWAYS have it on! He works second shift, so the "after 4PM thing" wouldn't work here. He is home in the mornings, and our house is too small for the tv to be anywhere but the living room. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Man, now I feel bad. I've not been giving them credit. I'll start. Sounds like a good plan you have. Kiddo likes seeing the circles get filled, and it also tells him that art and music are important, even if we don't do them every day, like math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Cut the cord. If someone solders it, get out the gun! (this was my uncles method when the kids wouldn't turn it off... I would actually just put it in the garage) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Don't want to hijack, but what about if your DH refuses to turn it off?? My DH will NOT get rid of the tv. We have been without cable for 3 years, but he must ALWAYS have it on! He works second shift, so the "after 4PM thing" wouldn't work here. He is home in the mornings, and our house is too small for the tv to be anywhere but the living room. :glare: My dh was a hard nut to crack on this one. It took numerous conversations about the benefits and how it would help me. He likes the background noise. He stays in our room and watches on the computer if he really needs a fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Turn it off. :) I know, easier said than done right? After the first day of whining for it, kids will *always* find something else to occupy their time. I promise! :) :iagree: Another good bet is to eliminate cable or satellite service and go back to rabbit ears (or whatever was introduced to replace them a few years ago). Not only will there be almost nothing to watch, but the reception -- if any -- will be too poor to make watching the set worthwhile. Block all TV and TV-type websites on your computer, if that becomes a substitute measure for family members. Build an extensive and varied home library of DVDs, with titles worth watching more than once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Cancel the cable. Put the TV in storage. They'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 :iagree: Another good bet is to eliminate cable or satellite service and go back to rabbit ears (or whatever was introduced to replace them a few years ago). Not only will there be almost nothing to watch, but the reception -- if any -- will be too poor to make watching the set worthwhile. . This isn't necessarily true. We don't have cable or satellite and we have the converter boxes(replacement for the rabbit ears). We still get all the main stations- ABC, CBS, NBS, FOX We also get 3 PBS channels, the CW and a few other random channels. Unless it is storming, we don't have much problem with reception either...comes in as clear as cable. My dh was a hard nut to crack on this one. It took numerous conversations about the benefits and how it would help me. He likes the background noise. He stays in our room and watches on the computer if he really needs a fix. We have conversated and conversated...nothing. He just says, "I like tv." :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 We have conversated and conversated...nothing. He just says, "I like tv." :glare: I feel your pain! If it's not TV, it's video games. Oh well. I'll just have to institute a rule that says no TV when dad's not home. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabel Lee Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have some friends who only allow the TV on when it is dark outside. Again, it cuts down on the questioning. Can I watch tv? Look outside and there is your answer. Lol, that wouldn't work in Alaska! "Hey mom, it's still winter, so the TV stays on, right?" Since I live in a very small house with a husband who would never go for no TV at all, I'm going to get an entertainment center with closing doors on the front. Hopefully, out of sight will mean out of mind, in combination with firm boundaries. A variation of this (that I thought of doing until I save up for the piece of furniture) would be to mount the TV to the wall, assuming it's flatscreen, and hang curtains in front of it. I also want to get a DVR so we don't have to waste time & brain cells on commercials. Finally, I've started getting the Sunday paper which includes a programming schedule. We don't have cable, so that narrows it down a lot. Each child is given a set daily & weekly total limit and can highlight shows they'd like to watch. When you plan it out like that, it's easier to think of it as a scheduled thing to do, which has an end time, rather than vegging in front of it no matter what's on. It's not perfect (which in my world would be no TV; just watch on a computer), but it's better than it used to be around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 This isn't necessarily true. We don't have cable or satellite and we have the converter boxes(replacement for the rabbit ears). We still get all the main stations- ABC, CBS, NBS, FOX We also get 3 PBS channels, the CW and a few other random channels. Unless it is storming, we don't have much problem with reception either...comes in as clear as cable. With the occasional exception of PBS, that is what I meant by "nothing to watch" ! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 The TVs in our house are not in our main living areas. It's not convenient to watch TV for us. It takes an effort, and most shows aren't worth it, so the TVs are rarely on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 When we moved, we didn't subscribe to cable/satellite. We have Netflix but don't watch it as background noise like we used to watch cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I have a time method. I added up all the time in WTM for each year and we cover it in a year. Music, for our age, is 36 hours a year. We do it easily. For simple things like art and music, I have 36 circles, and I color in the time we do. Interested in how you do this. I would not think it "credit" unless my child were consciously listening to the piece of music, noticing the various instruments, themes and subthemes, period and style, etc. Just having a radio on while we do other things makes the music "background sound", so you probably don't mean that. Love to hear more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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