I’ve heard of TV Turnoff Week, but never put much stock into it. Like most Americans, I like my TV. My TV watching habits have changed since having children. I used to be plugged in to primetime TV five nights/week. Now I watch the occasional reality TV show, and find myself wishing for time to watch more.
The first bit of information I read about 2007 TV Turnoff Week was this (Adbusters.org):
The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days.
Simple? Puh-lease! I mean, yeah, it is simple to put all of those things away but it certainly requires a lifestyle change. I thought I’d give it a try this week. I made it all the way until 4:30pm today, Monday, with no TV. That’s saying a lot. I’m a SAHM to a 5 month old and 2.5 year old. I’ll admit it, I use the TV as a crutch. Sometimes I need to do laundry, straighten up the house, take a shower, etc., and I usually turn on an educational TV program for my daughter to watch, put my son in a sling, and go about doing what I need to get done. I didn’t do that today, and it wasn’t easy.
My daughter didn’t start watching TV until she was 18 months old. I was pregnant with her brother and had horrific morning sickness. It was all I could do to drag myself out of bed every morning, so the TV watching began. Still, in the back of my mind I kept thinking of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that children under 2 years old should not watch TV. From increasing children’s chances of ADD to obesity and anti-social behavior, they sure know how to play the guilt trip on those of us in American society who are already prone to TONS of guilt. I don’t think children, of any age, should be plugged in for 8 hours/day, but if they watch 30 minutes - 1 hour per day, I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
I don’t think we’ll be turning off our TV for an entire week, but I do think I’ll be more aware of how much it is on and will make every attempt to limit that for the foreseeable future. So are you up for the challenge? Ready to turn your TV off for the remainder of this week? If you’re interested in learning more, check out these web sites:
Kill Your Television
Center for Screen-Time Awareness
LimiTV
If you decide to partake in this challenge, please share your thoughts!
catgirl1007
Am I up for it?! No! Yikes!