Not too long ago, I did what many families are afraid to do. I cancelled our cable. We have nothing now...not even PBS. But my title is a bit misleading. You see we DON'T miss our cable. Not one bit, not one ounce...nothing. I was sure that the kids would start begging for Pokemon or Arthur after the first week; but I was wrong. They have adjusted wonderfully!
We didn't swear television off completely. We still have family movie night on Friday's and I might pop in a DVD for the little kids to watch once in a while, if I need the the time to teach the older kids. But overall, the television is off now all the time.
I don't want to be misleading in terms of videos or watching shows. They are a true reward around here. The kids still enjoy Arthur or Pokemon...but everything is done online which has the benefit of minimal amount of commercials (in my opinion, commercials materialize kids). But even then, it is something that has to be earned.
What's changed with all the extra time we have? The kids ask for less things (amazing!!), we have more read aloud times, the kids are more imaginative in their play, and in the evenings we sit around the living room and tell stories (as opposed to sitting around the living room watching a show). The benefits of no television seem to be greater than I expected.
So I say to you...don't be afraid to toss out the TV or shut off the cable! Believe me, your family will reap great rewards!! And you'll save a bunch of money!
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