amo_mea_filiis. Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Ds and I are sitting in the waiting room while dd is in occupational therapy. This is the first time in months that ds has seen regular TV. He wants or "needs" Reeces Puffs, toaster strudels, 3 new toys, and a tablet for kids. :glare: I would love to plop down on our non existent couch and channel surf, but i sure don't miss all the begging that came with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Yeah I enjoy our days without satellite/cable, but when we go somewhere that has a tv my kids turn into zombies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm so glad the Olympics are over because of this. We never have the TV on unless it's the Olympics and then DH is glued to it. Peace and quiet has returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneTL Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm glad to hear this - I'm off to the cable office today to shut off our service. We'll still have local networks and PBS, but everything else, I'm sure I won't miss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. DS likes to point out all of the ridiculous gimmicky things. DD once burst in to excitement when DH came home one day and told him "Dad! You can give this guy five dollars and have a car!" It was hilarious. She was maybe 4 at the time. We don't have cable and only have shows we buy so we rarelyl see commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We got an antenna so we could watch the Olympics. DS (almost 3) has been watching a few PBS shows lately. Commercials aggravate him; every time one comes on he yells at the TV, "NO MY NEED THIS!!!!!" (I don't need this) because he wants to get back to the show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 This is us too. My kids don't ask for things from commercials. We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. I think every kids is just different. Eldest doesn't like TV, finds it annoying. It is rare that he wants to watch anything. (We don't have TV in the house.) He can be shown many previews to various movies and have zero desire to see any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. We do not have tv service and my children despise commercials and just do not get phased by the tv in general. Now we do get dvd's and shows on netflix so we are not a no tv watching family but the children will go weeks without watching anything. Except for my daughter who gets to watch Dr. Who weekly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 When DS was watching Magic School Bus on NBC on Saturday mornings, there were a bunch of commercials for Sketchers shoes where the announcer would yell about how laces were "out." DS would tell us every week that he didn't ever need to get shoes with laces and learn to tie--the guy on tv said so. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EducationX2 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have cable, but nearly everything we watch is DVRed first, and therefore we fast forward through the commercials. It's amazing how much difference it has made in DD's attitude towards "stuff." I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. This is not always true. We had TV the first five years of Pigby's life and he was always addicted to it. Anytime it came on, he was a zombie. And like the OP, he was a little annoying about thinking he needed every single thing he saw a commercial for. Now we have no TV and is still glued to it if he ever sees one. The asking for stuff still happens, but only when we're at the store and walk by the toy section. He's no longer convinced we need to buy JIF and Febreze :glare: Again, I know everyone is different, but in my experience, having not TV has been a wonderful thing for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 We are a no-tv family here too. The kids get a movie once a week, and sometimes a "school show" like a documentary or magic school bus.... We're talking 3 hours or less a week. I can't believe how much their attention span and imaginations have improved since we went TV free. I'm loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm right there with you. Miss Beautiful and I went for a special 4 hour hair treatment. They had Law and Order on the entire 4 hours. There were plenty of things I'd just as soon my 13 year old stay ignorant about. Miss Bossy was invited to an Olympic games themed birthday party I put on the games so she could get an idea of what they were talking about. That lasted almost 5 minutes. I just do not need my children exposed to our culture's hyper materialism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I agree - you don't realize how obnoxious the commercials are until you've been away from them for a while. Not to mention the programing content that is almost never appropriate for all family members (IMO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 We have TVs in several rooms of our house, so ds has an opportunity to watch a lot of it if he chooses to. He does watch some TV, but he's not exactly glued to it, either, and he doesn't ask for many of the things he sees advertised. I think that may be because it's just routine for him, and he's not that impressed by it. I would think that a kid who rarely saw TV programming would probably be more excited about it, and pay more attention to things like commercials, than would a child who has always had TVs in the house. Until a few months ago, mine had plenty of TV, netflix, wii, etc. It just became obvious that screens and my ds's brain do not mix well. We still have plenty of movies and computer; these are next to go. Dd gets her fill on her ipod because i have not changed back the restrictions since fair week. It's going soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Miss Bossy was invited to an Olympic games themed birthday party I put on the games so she could get an idea of what they were talking about. That lasted almost 5 minutes. I just do not need my children exposed to our culture's hyper materialism. My feeling is that kids are going to be exposed to the materialism sooner or later anyway, so I have no problem with things like TV commercials. Well, OK, let me take that back. I can really and truly live my life without ever seeing another commercial for tampons or those Trojan personal vibrators, but ads for things like kids' toys or video games don't bother me a bit. (But that could be because my ds isn't particularly influenced by TV commercials. If he acted like he needed everything he saw on TV, I would definitely be limiting his screen time!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 My three always had tv and the only time they didn't have commercials were when we lived in Europe and watched AFN (although they remember those promos the best). Anyway, they never asked for things from tv. None of them were addicted to tv and as adults and an older teen, they watch very little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 It is not that my kids will ask for the things that they see on tv. It is more that I don't like them exposed to the whole money-makes-you-happy, thin-is-beautiful lies that permeate our popular culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 It is not that my kids will ask for the things that they see on tv. It is more that I don't like them exposed to the whole money-makes-you-happy, thin-is-beautiful lies that permeate our popular culture. :iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 It is not that my kids will ask for the things that they see on tv. It is more that I don't like them exposed to the whole money-makes-you-happy, thin-is-beautiful lies that permeate our popular culture. I guess I always just figured that my ds would be exposed to it soon enough, anyway, and that we'd talk to him about it if he seemed overly impressed by anything he saw on TV. I can definitely understand limiting exposure if a child seems very easily influenced by what he or she sees on TV, though! It's not like any kid's world would end if there was no TV in the house; I just don't see a problem with having TVs in our own home. I would never judge anyone else for making a different decision for their family. Personally, I don't want my ds to think that money doesn't matter or that it's not a good thing to be fit and attractive. I certainly don't want him to obsess over things like making money or being the best-looking, but I also hope he will value financial success in life. In and of itself, money may not make you happy, but financial security can go a long way toward making a person feel safe and secure. I also hope he will take good care of himself in terms of fitness, grooming, and fashion -- because looking and feeling good are great self-confidence boosters and are helpful both personally and professionally. Money and attractiveness do have their merits, and I don't think it's shallow to aspire to have both. I do think it's shallow when it's all that matters to you, but I'm pretty confident that my ds won't fall into that trap. He's a sensible kid, and he realizes that love and family come first... but he also knows that money pays for the things the family wants and needs, and that people do treat you differently when you look neat and tidy, than when you look like a slob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Cat, I can hardly think of a poster I love and respect more than you. I think your decisions are absolutely the best for your family. I personally have a very extreme parenting style. I want my children to be as free as possible from cultural pressures. I want them to be able to look within and find answers there without the static that can come from the bombardment of advertising. I have one adult child and two more teenager so I can see that I like the results I have gotten from the way that we have chosen to raise them. That IN NO WAY diminishes the great results that other parents get from parenting in a completely different way. I do not want my children exposed to commercialism, that is simply my own personal preference. I do not feel that makes me superior to parents who want something different for their own families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 (edited) I absolutely understand that, Amy -- and I respect your decision very much. I think, in our case, it would be pretty near impossible to avoid the exposure, because we spend so much of our time in NYC, where everyone is pretty much bombarded by all of the images and influences 24/7 -- many of which I'm not at all excited about, BTW! We try to keep our personal priorities straight, so although our lifestyle would probably be considered excessive by some people, our ds has been taught that honesty, fairness, integrity, and morality are important, and that no one is ore or less valuable than anyone else because one person is richer or prettier. It's nice to have a lot of stuff, but ultimately, it's just stuff. I know some adults who believe (and who teach their kids) that if people have more money, they are better than people who have less. I can't understand a mentality that says you can trust someone who has money and success, just because they have money and success. How does being successful automatically equate with being a decent person? :confused: Thank goodness, my ds doesn't buy into that garbage! If you're nice, you're nice, and he'll be your friend, but if you're not a nice kid, who cares if your father has two Ferraris in the garage? I think I would have had a much more difficult time instilling good values in my ds had he he attended regular school, though. I have seen the difference in the neighborhood kids as they've spent more and more years in school, and I don't really like what I see. I figure I can monitor what my ds watches on TV (and he knows he has to check the TV ratings or ask me, before he watches something new,) but I wouldn't be able to control what he learned at public school! (And I should mention that I'm pretty strict about what my ds can watch. Many people think I'm a lunatic for monitoring what he watches, but there are a lot of things I simply don't want in my 12yo's head right now! Heck, I don't even want a lot of them in my own head! :D) Edited August 17, 2012 by Catwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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