(If this is your first time reading this blog, start reading from the bottom. September 2nd's entry.)
Let's be honest. My husband and I are dorks. And tonight after we put the girls to bed, he sat at our kitchen table and built a spreadsheet with how much time per day/month/year one might lose watching TV. Check this out.
If we assume this individual is awake for 17 hours per day, here's the low-down on time sat on his/her ass in front of the talking box.
If you watch 1 hour of TV a day, you are watching 7 hours a week & 365 hours a year which is 5.9% of your waking time which is a total of 15 days per year, which is equivalent to 2 weeks of your year lost to television watching.
If you watch 2 hours of TV a day, you are watching 14 hours a week & 730 hours a year which is 11.8% of your waking time which is a total of 30 days per year, which is equivalent to 1 month of your year lost to television watching.
If you watch 3 hours of TV a day, you are watching 21 hours a week & 1095 hours a year which is 17.7% of your waking time which is a total of 46 days per year, which is equivalent to 1.5 months of your year lost to television watching.
If you watch 4 hours of TV a day, you are watching 28 hours a week & 1460 hours a year which is 23.5% of your waking time which is a total of 61 days per year, which is equivalent to 2 months of your year lost to television watching.
If you watch 5 hours of TV a day, you are watching 35 hours a week & 1825 hours a year which is 29.4% of your waking time which is a total of 76 days per year, which is equivalent to 2.5 months of your year lost to television watching
If you watch 6 hours of TV a day, you need to bookmark this blog or start one of your own.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Thoughts on the Bad Day and the Other World
So much to say today. First, I'll address the last entry. I'd had a bad day, for sure. And I was exhausted and scared about how my daughter was acting. And the thing I wanted was a television. Isn't that strange? I realize that a lot of people escape through TV and it wasn't uncommon for me, after a bad day, to just turn on the TV and veg. But how did I feel when I was done? I felt numb. My problems weren't addressed--they were stuffed down and not discussed. I didn't connect with my spouse/family. I shut out the world and lived in another world for a temporary spell until I felt sufficiently satiated with otherness. Simply put, I practiced denial.
That night, I sat around feeling bad. I talked to my husband about it which helped a bit. I talked to my friend on the phone. It was her daughter that was the subject of the clobbering, and she was incredibly reassuring. Then I read a book, I think, but fell asleep within minutes. I went to bed at about 9. And I needed the sleep. The next day I felt so much better. Optimistic, even, that I could work with my daughter and address these problems. What would've happened if I'd just watched 2-3 hours of TV? I wouldn't have talked to my friend or my husband. I wouldn't have gotten rest. I would've been mildly entertained for a little bit, but I would have turned the television off feeling, as I usually did before the September Experiment, kind of used.
Still, I admit that I am not over my addiction. There have been moments these past few days that I've had a lull in activity (hard to believe with 2 small children in my house) and wondered what might be on TV. I've watched my favorite show on the computer. But I must admit that as I watched it, I was more acutely aware than ever that I was wasting time. Really wasting time--that dwindling commodity which is oh so precious to me as a mom of 2 young kids who take up 99% of mine.
What I'm discovering though, is the other world. There is another world out there. It's the world of my family and the word of writers. I've always been a reader, but reading honestly sat second-fiddle to TV watching. I'm a writer, too, (struggling, yes) but I admit that much of my understanding of plot and story arc comes from television watching. Someone at my MFA program once asked me how I managed to write stories with intense plots. (Or something like that. I was flattered but perhaps they were asking me why I'm such a drama-queen.) My answer was, "TV." It was an ambivalent answer, something I wasn't necessarily proud of admitting, but it's true. Anyway, this other world I talk of is unfolding in front of me so beautifully. Just this morning as our 3-year-old slept late (thank you!) my husband and I sat at our dining room table reading voraciously. I read Steve Almond's newest book (Called (Not That You Asked) It's BRILLIANT. Buy it.) And in it there's an incredible chapter about Kurt Vonnegut who "viewed film and television as enemies of human progress." And at the same moment Greg was reading an article about Al Gore in The New York Review of Books. Gore's book The Assault on Reason apparently suggests that "More and more people are trying to figure out what has gone wrong in our democracy..." And "He offers a list of explanations...More than any other public figure today, he fixes the blame on the power of television. His lament is not the standard one about the medium's superficiality. He argues that a discourse dominated by television--it is, he notes, now almost half a century since television replaced newspapers as Americans' chief sourse of information--inherently corrupts the Founders' notion of the reasoned deliberatoin in the civic forum that they judged essential to a republic's survival."
I think this same notion applies to the human family. If we're not talking because the television always is, how can we create a healthy discourse? Television is the obnoxious in-law that dominates the room, interrupts everyone mid-sentence, and won't shut up. Despite the fact that he brought yummy desserts to which I am still addicted, I'm glad we banished him.
That night, I sat around feeling bad. I talked to my husband about it which helped a bit. I talked to my friend on the phone. It was her daughter that was the subject of the clobbering, and she was incredibly reassuring. Then I read a book, I think, but fell asleep within minutes. I went to bed at about 9. And I needed the sleep. The next day I felt so much better. Optimistic, even, that I could work with my daughter and address these problems. What would've happened if I'd just watched 2-3 hours of TV? I wouldn't have talked to my friend or my husband. I wouldn't have gotten rest. I would've been mildly entertained for a little bit, but I would have turned the television off feeling, as I usually did before the September Experiment, kind of used.
Still, I admit that I am not over my addiction. There have been moments these past few days that I've had a lull in activity (hard to believe with 2 small children in my house) and wondered what might be on TV. I've watched my favorite show on the computer. But I must admit that as I watched it, I was more acutely aware than ever that I was wasting time. Really wasting time--that dwindling commodity which is oh so precious to me as a mom of 2 young kids who take up 99% of mine.
What I'm discovering though, is the other world. There is another world out there. It's the world of my family and the word of writers. I've always been a reader, but reading honestly sat second-fiddle to TV watching. I'm a writer, too, (struggling, yes) but I admit that much of my understanding of plot and story arc comes from television watching. Someone at my MFA program once asked me how I managed to write stories with intense plots. (Or something like that. I was flattered but perhaps they were asking me why I'm such a drama-queen.) My answer was, "TV." It was an ambivalent answer, something I wasn't necessarily proud of admitting, but it's true. Anyway, this other world I talk of is unfolding in front of me so beautifully. Just this morning as our 3-year-old slept late (thank you!) my husband and I sat at our dining room table reading voraciously. I read Steve Almond's newest book (Called (Not That You Asked) It's BRILLIANT. Buy it.) And in it there's an incredible chapter about Kurt Vonnegut who "viewed film and television as enemies of human progress." And at the same moment Greg was reading an article about Al Gore in The New York Review of Books. Gore's book The Assault on Reason apparently suggests that "More and more people are trying to figure out what has gone wrong in our democracy..." And "He offers a list of explanations...More than any other public figure today, he fixes the blame on the power of television. His lament is not the standard one about the medium's superficiality. He argues that a discourse dominated by television--it is, he notes, now almost half a century since television replaced newspapers as Americans' chief sourse of information--inherently corrupts the Founders' notion of the reasoned deliberatoin in the civic forum that they judged essential to a republic's survival."
I think this same notion applies to the human family. If we're not talking because the television always is, how can we create a healthy discourse? Television is the obnoxious in-law that dominates the room, interrupts everyone mid-sentence, and won't shut up. Despite the fact that he brought yummy desserts to which I am still addicted, I'm glad we banished him.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bad Day
Right now I want a TV. I spent the weekend at my grandfather's memorial and am feeling lonesome for family and worried about everyone. On top of that, today my daughter practically clobbered another kid going after a toy. She seems to have had a bad day at school but can't communicate what's really going on as she's only 3. But clearly she's really troubled right now and acting out big time and I don't have the faintest idea how to handle it. I'm realizing (again) that I have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. I called my brother and said, "Why does it feel like it's only my kid doing these things?" He said that everyone feels that way and every kid does stuff like this as they grow up. It felt so good to hear that. But I'm thinking that my more gentle approach to parenting & discipline isn't working and so it's time (again) to change course. Will I ever figure it out? I know, I know, no one ever does...but it still feels crummy to have a kid who is a big fat jerk sometimes.
So right now I could use a telelvision to feel less isloated, less frustrated, less raw. I want to escape. I want to sit in front of the talking box and forget. Instead I guess I'll do dishes and go to bed. Maybe I'll sign up with Netflix first and order some movies.
So right now I could use a telelvision to feel less isloated, less frustrated, less raw. I want to escape. I want to sit in front of the talking box and forget. Instead I guess I'll do dishes and go to bed. Maybe I'll sign up with Netflix first and order some movies.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Perspective
My grandfather died yesterday. My strong, funny, gentle, intelligent, curious, creative grandfather. I am thankful that I grew up knowing him, that I spent time with him several times a year even though we lived far apart. After his death, this blog
felt kind of silly and pointless for a while until I realized something. I realized that it's not pointless to turn off the television and really BE with each other. Life is short. When I don't have the television on at night, I actually talk to my husband. I learn how his day went. And during the day, instead of parking my daughter in front of the TV, I get to spend my time marveling at her imagination, at how much she really does absorb, at how quickly she is growing up. With the television on, these things get muted. There's too much distraction and my focus and attention are diluted by the pictures and noise on the screen. With no television, I can truly be with my family. I can know them and understand them. Losing my grandfather made me realize that what we're doing isn't just a silly experiment. It's an important quest to make our connections with each other and ourselves deeper and more meaningful. I love you Grampa, and I'll miss you. Thank you for being with me and all us grandkids every chance you got.
felt kind of silly and pointless for a while until I realized something. I realized that it's not pointless to turn off the television and really BE with each other. Life is short. When I don't have the television on at night, I actually talk to my husband. I learn how his day went. And during the day, instead of parking my daughter in front of the TV, I get to spend my time marveling at her imagination, at how much she really does absorb, at how quickly she is growing up. With the television on, these things get muted. There's too much distraction and my focus and attention are diluted by the pictures and noise on the screen. With no television, I can truly be with my family. I can know them and understand them. Losing my grandfather made me realize that what we're doing isn't just a silly experiment. It's an important quest to make our connections with each other and ourselves deeper and more meaningful. I love you Grampa, and I'll miss you. Thank you for being with me and all us grandkids every chance you got.
Monday, September 3, 2007
"Can I watch a movie?"
How many times can a three-year-old ask this question in a 24-hour period? Hundreds. Perhaps thousands. She asked me, she asked my husband. She persisted. She did not lose faith. But, interestingly, she also did not melt down. She did not scream or pout or yell, which, if you're at all familiar with 3-year-olds, is the state they're in pretty much perpetually. The smallest thing can cause a complete conniption in our little darling, but for reasons we can't quite discern, not getting to watch a movie today did not trip the freak-out wire.
Reasons her dad and I gave her ranged across the board:
-It's too early.
-We don't watch TV in this house. (Dad's bold declaration.)
-Let's have lunch first. (After which she forgot her request.)
-No, let's go play. (She was happy to oblige this one on more than one occasion.)
-Not until when I'm making dinner. (This one was from me at a weak moment when I figured she could watch something while I cooked.)
-Not until after dinner (This one was given after dinner was cooked but before it was eaten--and she forgot to ask again after dinner and went to bed without mentioning it again.)
So one side-affect of no television I can see already is that my house is a total catastrophe. I spent the time Rachel watched television cleaning up the natural disasters that inevitably follow her from room to room. Today I had no such reprieve. And we were unpacking from our vacation so clothes, shoes, toys, diapers, etc were strewn across the floor in every inch of our house. But interestingly, after the girls went to bed, I spent about 30 minutes straightening up and the house is back in order. Did it normally take so little time to clean up? Or did I not bother to clean because I wanted to watch television and I was left with a meagre 10 exhausted minutes at 11PM to at least get the open food off the counters? (And then wake up to a dirty house which is one of my pet-peeves.) So yes, the house was a disaster all day but right now it's looking pretty spiffy, thank you very much. I'll just have to learn to not sweat it during the day.
My husband and I are not feeling the pangs of missing television. I feel freed. I don't feel like I'm missing something. That's part of why I turned on television before we banished it. I always thought, "Maybe there's something really good on." Rarely was that the case. But I do have a confession to make. I watched something on my computer. It's my favorite show and it's on MTV and yes, I am a grown woman--not a teenager--and I shouldn't be interested in this reality soap-opera garbage, but I am addicted to The Hills so I watched an episode last night in bed. I could only watch 5 minute segments at a time and it took only 20 minutes...is this cheating? My other favorite show, Grey's Anatomy, is also online, I think. So I'm really not giving everything up.
Oh, and I sent an e-mail to friends and family about this blog and the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Mostly I heard back from grandparents and parents and one cousin and they all seemed to think we were on to something--or at least they said they were proud of us for trying. So in turn I did spend some time feeling all high and mighty today--all self-righteously better than most of America for saying no-thank-you to the talking box. Yes, I'm quickly turning into one of those annoying people. But ask me again in a week. I may be praying for the hastening of the cable guy's Oct 1st arrival.
And then there's those other family and friends out there who already have no television who are probably reading this wondering what the big deal is, thinking, "Man, she really was addicted." There are many different levels on the spectrum of television attachment. My husband and I are confidently swinging over to the other side, but I can't say so much for our oldest daughter. Maybe tomorrow she'll only ask us if she can watch a movie two hundred times. One can hope.
Reasons her dad and I gave her ranged across the board:
-It's too early.
-We don't watch TV in this house. (Dad's bold declaration.)
-Let's have lunch first. (After which she forgot her request.)
-No, let's go play. (She was happy to oblige this one on more than one occasion.)
-Not until when I'm making dinner. (This one was from me at a weak moment when I figured she could watch something while I cooked.)
-Not until after dinner (This one was given after dinner was cooked but before it was eaten--and she forgot to ask again after dinner and went to bed without mentioning it again.)
So one side-affect of no television I can see already is that my house is a total catastrophe. I spent the time Rachel watched television cleaning up the natural disasters that inevitably follow her from room to room. Today I had no such reprieve. And we were unpacking from our vacation so clothes, shoes, toys, diapers, etc were strewn across the floor in every inch of our house. But interestingly, after the girls went to bed, I spent about 30 minutes straightening up and the house is back in order. Did it normally take so little time to clean up? Or did I not bother to clean because I wanted to watch television and I was left with a meagre 10 exhausted minutes at 11PM to at least get the open food off the counters? (And then wake up to a dirty house which is one of my pet-peeves.) So yes, the house was a disaster all day but right now it's looking pretty spiffy, thank you very much. I'll just have to learn to not sweat it during the day.
My husband and I are not feeling the pangs of missing television. I feel freed. I don't feel like I'm missing something. That's part of why I turned on television before we banished it. I always thought, "Maybe there's something really good on." Rarely was that the case. But I do have a confession to make. I watched something on my computer. It's my favorite show and it's on MTV and yes, I am a grown woman--not a teenager--and I shouldn't be interested in this reality soap-opera garbage, but I am addicted to The Hills so I watched an episode last night in bed. I could only watch 5 minute segments at a time and it took only 20 minutes...is this cheating? My other favorite show, Grey's Anatomy, is also online, I think. So I'm really not giving everything up.
Oh, and I sent an e-mail to friends and family about this blog and the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Mostly I heard back from grandparents and parents and one cousin and they all seemed to think we were on to something--or at least they said they were proud of us for trying. So in turn I did spend some time feeling all high and mighty today--all self-righteously better than most of America for saying no-thank-you to the talking box. Yes, I'm quickly turning into one of those annoying people. But ask me again in a week. I may be praying for the hastening of the cable guy's Oct 1st arrival.
And then there's those other family and friends out there who already have no television who are probably reading this wondering what the big deal is, thinking, "Man, she really was addicted." There are many different levels on the spectrum of television attachment. My husband and I are confidently swinging over to the other side, but I can't say so much for our oldest daughter. Maybe tomorrow she'll only ask us if she can watch a movie two hundred times. One can hope.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
And so it begins...
This blog has been created to document a momentous change in our household. We have done something many American families would never dream of. We cancelled our cable. We have no television. Well, we have a television that will play DVDs but we have no channels. Turn it on and you get fuzz. No MTV. No ESPN. No CNN. Nothing, nada, zilch.
Why did we do this? This blog attempts the explanation...and in the coming 30 days I'll chronicle what happens in our house during this televisionless month. It may turn into a televisionless forever. Or, October 1st we may be shaking as we call the cable guy begging him to reconnect us.
About us: We are a young, upper middle class family living in a nice suburb of San Francisco. My husband works and I stay home with our 3-year-old and 4-month-old daughters. We have a 3+ bedroom house and a yard. My husband has a PhD and I have two Masters degrees. Okay. So here goes.
This all started because we went on vacation to a televisionless place. We just got back this afternoon. We spent 7 days at a vacation house that had no TV and we actually talked, played with our daughters, sang songs, danced, cooked, read books and watched the stars. These were things that we did before, but I must say that I often did them feeling that I was doing these things in a hurry, in a fussy rush so that I could finally get the kids to bed so that I could finally sit down and watch TV. The television was my release time, my down time, my "me" time.
But I always got up after 1-2 hours of watching TV feeling kind of dirty, kind of used. Perhaps it's the programming today (holy crap I sound old). But really, do we need to watch Vince Neal trying to find a girlfriend on some crappy reality show? Yes, I actually caught myself watching that godawful show one night and it just felt wrong, like a dirty thing no one should ever know about, but I couldn't stop myself. Television has long been an addiction of mine. I flip through channels and watch stupid shows, or worse, shows I have already seen. I'd watch someone remodel a house for an hour on some "flip" show and start thinking about how I could change my house (which really needs no changing).
But the biggest reason we cancelled the cable was our three-year-old daughter. While we were on vacation, she played so creatively. She talked to her toys, gave them voices as they exchanged pleasantries. She built towers out of blocks. She created a game called "Time is running out!" in which she ran from one room to the next carrying things, shouting with urgency, "Time is running out!" The list is endless of the fun, creative, smart things she did to entertain herself and us. Not once did she ask to watch a movie (until the 6th day...more later). But you must understand that this is a kid that woke up, rubbed her eyes, and said, "I want to watch a movie." I'm not exaggerating. Somehow we'd gotten into the habit of allowing her to watch TV in the morning before school. It was selfish of us, in a way. We got to shower, drink our coffee in somewhat peace, maybe read an article in the paper. But the result was that the first thing our little girl did every morning was tune out. We all tuned out of each other. And in the afternoon, around 4PM when she started to get tired and often cranky, on the TV would go. Often for more than an hour. Yes, I know, we're awful parents for letting this happen. But we have a demanding 4-month-old too and we're both perpetually exhausted and we just couldn't stay on top of things. TV was our way to get her to chill out. No longer.
I have no idea how I'm going to handle those cranky afternoons without TV, but maybe if I sit down and play with her, or offer a creative activity, she'll be okay? I have no idea. We'll still let her watch movies every now and then...but no cartoons on demand.
So here's what happened when I called the cable company. It went something like this.
Me: Hi, I'd like to cancel our cable.
TV guy: Okay, I can help you with that. Can I ask why you're changing your service?
Me: Our kids watch too much television. (Lame, I know, to blame it on them...)
TV guy: Oh! (laughs) Okay. So how would you like to downgrade your service?
Me: No, we don't want to downgrade. We want to cancel it.
TV guy: You want NOTHING? No TV?
Me: (Embarrassed laugh.) Yeah, well, we're on vacation and our daughter---she's only 3---has been playing so well without TV and we just want to try it. Just for a while.
TV guy: No Sprout for her? Not even once in a while? My daughter is 2 and she just loves the Sprout channel. Or what's that thing -- those DVDs for babies?
Me: Oh, you mean, "Little Einsteins"? The one with the rocket where the kids go on adventures?
TV guy: No, those things that are just music & pictures for babies.
Me: Oh! Baby Einstein?
TV guy: Yeah, those aren't bad, are they?
Me: I guess not. Um, but can I cancel it?
TV guy: What about if you need to check the traffic?
Me: (Getting impatient.) We'll just turn on the radio, I guess. (Nervous laugh.)
TV guy: Man, you guys are brave or crazy.
Me: (Exasperated silence.)
TV guy: Okay, we'll cancel your service as of August 31st. You'll owe $22.
Me: Okay thanks bye.
I hung up the phone and walked into the house and looked at my husband as if I'd just done something incredibly risky, daring, and dangerous. He laughed, said something like, "Good." He supports the decision whole-heartedly but says he wouldn't have had the guts to make the call.
The first night after cancelling the cable, I lied in bed thinking about what it might be like. First I worried mostly about missing sporting events. Football season is starting and I love college football. Our favorite team was on this weekend and luckily we were at a restaurant and could keep up with the game on the TV in the sports bar. We watched it with a bit more glee than before cancelling our own television feed. Like the last hit before going into rehab.
I also thought about my daughter...about if she would end up being the weird kid in school who didn't know anything about popular culture. I remember one girl in my high school who didn't have TV and she sat silent in all of our conversations about Family Ties and The Cosby Show. I felt sorry for her. Should I have? Am I making my kid into the weird kid? These are all things I've considered. And it's only September 2nd. Good grief.
Exhaustion is starting to set in and I want to finish my book from vacation so I'm signing off. But I'll log on every day this month and will let you know how life is going in our newly televisionless world. I will be completely honest. We'll see how this goes!!!
Why did we do this? This blog attempts the explanation...and in the coming 30 days I'll chronicle what happens in our house during this televisionless month. It may turn into a televisionless forever. Or, October 1st we may be shaking as we call the cable guy begging him to reconnect us.
About us: We are a young, upper middle class family living in a nice suburb of San Francisco. My husband works and I stay home with our 3-year-old and 4-month-old daughters. We have a 3+ bedroom house and a yard. My husband has a PhD and I have two Masters degrees. Okay. So here goes.
This all started because we went on vacation to a televisionless place. We just got back this afternoon. We spent 7 days at a vacation house that had no TV and we actually talked, played with our daughters, sang songs, danced, cooked, read books and watched the stars. These were things that we did before, but I must say that I often did them feeling that I was doing these things in a hurry, in a fussy rush so that I could finally get the kids to bed so that I could finally sit down and watch TV. The television was my release time, my down time, my "me" time.
But I always got up after 1-2 hours of watching TV feeling kind of dirty, kind of used. Perhaps it's the programming today (holy crap I sound old). But really, do we need to watch Vince Neal trying to find a girlfriend on some crappy reality show? Yes, I actually caught myself watching that godawful show one night and it just felt wrong, like a dirty thing no one should ever know about, but I couldn't stop myself. Television has long been an addiction of mine. I flip through channels and watch stupid shows, or worse, shows I have already seen. I'd watch someone remodel a house for an hour on some "flip" show and start thinking about how I could change my house (which really needs no changing).
But the biggest reason we cancelled the cable was our three-year-old daughter. While we were on vacation, she played so creatively. She talked to her toys, gave them voices as they exchanged pleasantries. She built towers out of blocks. She created a game called "Time is running out!" in which she ran from one room to the next carrying things, shouting with urgency, "Time is running out!" The list is endless of the fun, creative, smart things she did to entertain herself and us. Not once did she ask to watch a movie (until the 6th day...more later). But you must understand that this is a kid that woke up, rubbed her eyes, and said, "I want to watch a movie." I'm not exaggerating. Somehow we'd gotten into the habit of allowing her to watch TV in the morning before school. It was selfish of us, in a way. We got to shower, drink our coffee in somewhat peace, maybe read an article in the paper. But the result was that the first thing our little girl did every morning was tune out. We all tuned out of each other. And in the afternoon, around 4PM when she started to get tired and often cranky, on the TV would go. Often for more than an hour. Yes, I know, we're awful parents for letting this happen. But we have a demanding 4-month-old too and we're both perpetually exhausted and we just couldn't stay on top of things. TV was our way to get her to chill out. No longer.
I have no idea how I'm going to handle those cranky afternoons without TV, but maybe if I sit down and play with her, or offer a creative activity, she'll be okay? I have no idea. We'll still let her watch movies every now and then...but no cartoons on demand.
So here's what happened when I called the cable company. It went something like this.
Me: Hi, I'd like to cancel our cable.
TV guy: Okay, I can help you with that. Can I ask why you're changing your service?
Me: Our kids watch too much television. (Lame, I know, to blame it on them...)
TV guy: Oh! (laughs) Okay. So how would you like to downgrade your service?
Me: No, we don't want to downgrade. We want to cancel it.
TV guy: You want NOTHING? No TV?
Me: (Embarrassed laugh.) Yeah, well, we're on vacation and our daughter---she's only 3---has been playing so well without TV and we just want to try it. Just for a while.
TV guy: No Sprout for her? Not even once in a while? My daughter is 2 and she just loves the Sprout channel. Or what's that thing -- those DVDs for babies?
Me: Oh, you mean, "Little Einsteins"? The one with the rocket where the kids go on adventures?
TV guy: No, those things that are just music & pictures for babies.
Me: Oh! Baby Einstein?
TV guy: Yeah, those aren't bad, are they?
Me: I guess not. Um, but can I cancel it?
TV guy: What about if you need to check the traffic?
Me: (Getting impatient.) We'll just turn on the radio, I guess. (Nervous laugh.)
TV guy: Man, you guys are brave or crazy.
Me: (Exasperated silence.)
TV guy: Okay, we'll cancel your service as of August 31st. You'll owe $22.
Me: Okay thanks bye.
I hung up the phone and walked into the house and looked at my husband as if I'd just done something incredibly risky, daring, and dangerous. He laughed, said something like, "Good." He supports the decision whole-heartedly but says he wouldn't have had the guts to make the call.
The first night after cancelling the cable, I lied in bed thinking about what it might be like. First I worried mostly about missing sporting events. Football season is starting and I love college football. Our favorite team was on this weekend and luckily we were at a restaurant and could keep up with the game on the TV in the sports bar. We watched it with a bit more glee than before cancelling our own television feed. Like the last hit before going into rehab.
I also thought about my daughter...about if she would end up being the weird kid in school who didn't know anything about popular culture. I remember one girl in my high school who didn't have TV and she sat silent in all of our conversations about Family Ties and The Cosby Show. I felt sorry for her. Should I have? Am I making my kid into the weird kid? These are all things I've considered. And it's only September 2nd. Good grief.
Exhaustion is starting to set in and I want to finish my book from vacation so I'm signing off. But I'll log on every day this month and will let you know how life is going in our newly televisionless world. I will be completely honest. We'll see how this goes!!!
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