Surfside Academy Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I'm tired of fighting with my son to get him to read so I cancelled our Directv, at least for the summer! Now, I'm in a slight panic because I don't know how 3 boys are going to keep themselves entertained (without driving me absolutely crazy!) I told my oldest that I'll actually pay him $2 for every books he reads this summer! I hope this experiment works. I have friends who haven't had tv for a few years but yet their boys are totally addicted to their Nintendo's and WII. For my sanity, I didn't keep the cable on in my bedroom . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhunandFonics Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 You go girl! I have been threatening to do the same at our house. Suddenly my kids seem incapable of doing anything, yet they have plenty of time to loaf in front of the tv?? I don't think so! I was looking forward to a lighter summer schedule, but I am already tired of the tv being on all day. I work from home part time, so every time I leave the room it seems to come on all by itself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 It's coming up on a year since we disconnected ours. The funny thing is, nobody ever said a word about it. We just all got busy with other stuff and never missed it. We do have a Wii, but try to keep that to reasonable levels - it's really only an issue when we have a new game. You'll be really glad you took the step, I promise!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweed Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Good for you! We used to shut our satelitte off for 6 months and then turn it back on for 6 months. The last time the 6 months was over, we decided to keep it off for good and I am so glad we did. I will warn you, though, in my case anyway, it does take a few months before they "recover" from their used-to-being-entertained mode. But it is so worth it! Oh, and a house without television does tend to be a little, um, noisy, especially with boys. It may be a good idea to have art supplies and a huge stack of library books on hand for them. :001_smile: Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I did this when my dc were 7 & 5 and it was hard for a couple of days. However, after the initial shock they started getting along better, were less grumpy, and invented all sorts of wonderful things to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMere Academy Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Good for you, I wish I was so brave. I've been thinking about getting rid of TV, house phone and internet...but I don't think I could ever do it. I bet your kids will have the best summer ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 He'll be fine. We've never had cable, and our young boys have only ever played games on a computer. They do have videos, and my oldest has a lot of History Channel and other history movies, but I really think a lot of it is in directing their appetites. I think most kids would be content to be glued to a TV -- it's rather mesmerizing. I just prefer videos because they are easily regulated and it's a more intentional sort of thing -- you cannot channel surf with a video. I also appreciate that there are no commercials. Our family room TV died and we were hoping to find a good deal on cragislist, but we just haven't taken the time to look for one. It is amazing how fewer videos they watch now that the only TV is in our room (I watch videos when I ride my bike). Out of sight, out of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 My oldest 2 are 7 & 5, & we don't have TV or video games. They don't use the computer, & they don't watch more than 1-2 videos/mo. I mean, we get them from the library, & we *mean* to watch them, we just never get around to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdWTMer Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I'm tired of fighting with my son to get him to read so I cancelled our Directv Congrats. It will be different at first! Hard, like the withdrawal from caffeine. We don't have a tv even, although we do use the computer for our viewing pleasure. We watch any tv shows online or I buy shows from iTunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Just to share a dissenting opinion, forcing your kids to read even for money won't necessarily turn them into bibliophiles. I tried that with my two youngest children a few years back. They were delighted to take me up on the deal and read way more books than I thought they would. Then they happily spent their money at the toy store and were so happy with their new things they didn't pick up a book for a long time. Then they asked if I'd pay them to read again. Um, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 Just to share a dissenting opinion, forcing your kids to read even for money won't necessarily turn them into bibliophiles. I tried that with my two youngest children a few years back. They were delighted to take me up on the deal and read way more books than I thought they would. Then they happily spent their money at the toy store and were so happy with their new things they didn't pick up a book for a long time. Then they asked if I'd pay them to read again. Um, no. To be honest, I'm not expecting my oldest to turn into a bookworm. He has a friend who absolutely loves to read and I suspect that my son will never quite get there. If I can get him to choose a book every-so-often however, I will feel that missing the Food Network will be worth it :D. For what it's worh, I'm guessing our little agreement will cost me $20. I'll keep you posted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 We don't have cable just an antenna with 7 channels, but dh has decreed that when broadcasting goes digital next February we are not going with it. I'm kind of wishing we would just get rid of broadcast television right now, instead of waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 You go girl! I have been threatening to do the same at our house. Suddenly my kids seem incapable of doing anything, yet they have plenty of time to loaf in front of the tv?? I don't think so! I was looking forward to a lighter summer schedule, but I am already tired of the tv being on all day. I work from home part time, so every time I leave the room it seems to come on all by itself! Our TV actually does come on by itself sometimes! :001_huh: I think it's something with the remote, but I have not figured it out yet. I am seriously considering disconnecting the cable, too. I truly cannot stand the TV. I hardly ever watch. I bet your kids have a great summer without it! And you're making me consider really taking the plunge. The worst offender in our house is DH. Anita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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