MY TV Free Life

It is always amusing to watch the reactions I get when I inform someone that I do not in fact have television. I usually avoid telling people I don't watch tv just because of the reactions I get. But when I get asked direct questions like, "What is your favorite tv show" I have no choice, but to admit that not only do I not have a favorite tv show, but I have no idea what shows ever air anymore.

But Why!? Why, oh why would you choose not to watch tv??

I didn't set out to not have TV. After years of living with roommates I finally moved out on my own (although my now husband did move in with me about two months later). While living on my own I had an epiphany that I wanted to go back to school. I had enough savings to kinda sorta scrape by, but we did not have any extras to pay for things like television. At first it was really weird. I missed my shows, I didn't like being confused when my friends chatted about the latest episode of the latest fad show, I didn't like the lack of options when I wanted to lay comatose on the couch. I started watching shows online, but due crappy internet I had so much trouble viewing the shows that I gave up. At the time I seriously missed television.

After a year or so something strange started to happen. I started to forget about my favorite shows and I started to like the quiet. I began to fill my free time with more productive uses of time that did not involve laying on the couch not moving. I also started to have better body image because I didn't have perfect bodies displayed on a screen all day or adds blaring at me about how I needed longer lashes, tighter skin, shinier hair, and whiter teeth. Eventually, I forgot about my old tv shows and was so clueless as to what the new shows were about I stopped feeling like I was missing out. And suddenly I kinda liked not having TV.

Recently, I played with the idea of buying cable. I am home all day and sometimes I want to be comatose after I finally get the baby to bed. Then one day I was watching videos a few friends posted of their babies on Facebook and while their kids were doing adorable kid like things, blaring in the background was the television. It was distracting and sort if annoying. But more than that one of the scenes seemed extremely violent which isn't unusual when it comes to tv these days. It was strange to see and innocent child taking their first steps in the foreground with violence going on in the background. It made me think about what kind of environment I wanted to raise my family in. I want a calm peaceful place for Kaylee to grow up in and I did not want the background noise in my home to be that of the television.

The main reason I decided not to get television at this time is that without tv I have control over what messages come into my home. I do not want messages of needing more, needing to be better, prettier, richer to taint my home environment  I do not want her to have unrealistic body ideals thrown in her face on a daily basis. I do not want television ads to tempt my child with their unhealthy crap they try to sell kids. The media is powerful especially on young developing minds. I decided for now while life seems to be going by too quickly I did not need another distraction that won't add to the quality of my family's life.

Will she eventually watch tv? Of course! Will I maybe hook up the tv someday so she can watch cartoons? Sure. Will she go to friend's houses and watch tv shows I don't approve of. Yes! But for now while she is so little and the world is so new I would like to keep the media and television out of her little world.