I guess this blog title should be more appropriately named "My 4-months since I killed the TV". In late September 2009 my wife and I decided that the TV's in our house were history and the cable bill was no more (except for the internet access). My main reasoning was I felt there was too much trash on TV and I did not want my kids influenced by it. I must confess I'm a huge sports fan, more specifically a huge "Buckeye Fan". So to have no access to a TV at the start of Big Ten Football season was surely going to be rough or at least that's what I thought.
I quickly realized I was slightly addicted to the TV. I was really missing it at night and I was used to having Fox News in my office on all day. At first I was a little annoyed that my night time routine had changed but that was soon gone upon realizing the many benefits of not having a TV.
The biggest benefit to date is with my kids. I think the TV can take the creativity out of kids if they spend too much time in front of the TV. My oldest would come home from school and really did not want to talk much until he got a snack and spent some quality time with the TV. Similarly, his morning routine was to zone out in front of cartoons before heading out to catch the bus. Now he wakes up, enjoys a better breakfast and actually has 20-30 minutes of lively conversation with mom and dad. Wow - imagine that, a kid talking with his parents and enjoying it! In addition, our two youngest kids now play with each other in much more creative ways. It seemed like when they got bored before they would just say "let's go watch TV", and now with that not being an option, they are forced to do something more active or they sit down and read a book.
For me, I'm sleeping better than ever, enjoying more time with my children and having great evening discussions with my wife. I'm finishing up my second book and I'm getting my sports fix by checking scores on ESPN.com and not wasting hours watching games that really don't mean much to me anyway. I already get up at 4:15am each morning now but since I'm getting such good sleep I'm considering a move to a 3:45am wake up call so I can get in another 30 minutes of training while everyone else is sleeping.
In closing, this was only going to be an experiment in the beginning but this has radically changed our family for the good. I would recommend it to everyone and look forward to a continued life without the TV.
Bring it!
HFP Man
About Me
- hfpman
- Shannon has always had a passion for racing ever since his very first “biathlon” in 1987 while in high school. While attending The Ohio State University in 1989 Shannon created Health and Fitness Promotions, which would later become HFP Racing. For more than 20 years Shannon has been a hands-on race director while simultaneously fueling his passion for racing. Don’t be surprised on race morning to catch Shannon covered in sweat and his shoes covered in orange paint as he tirelessly finishes up last minute race details while preparing himself to jump into the race and join the fun.