This week is a national TV Turnoff Week challenge. At first glance, I figured our household hardly qualifies in the too much TV watching category.
When Darius is awake, we don't watch much TV. If he's lucky, he'll get to watch part of a 30 minute show on PBS one morning during the week. On Saturdays, we walk to our local library where we check out videos to watch during the weekend. We pick out non-kid movies for the adults to watch after he's gone to bed. And he gets to pick his own DVD - my only rules are that they cannot be violent (no Power Rangers) and that they can't be one we've picked before. Because, really, what parent needs to watch The Wiggles Down Under in Syndney more than once? If he's lucky, he'll get to watch the video twice before we return to the library the following Saturday.
So on an average week, I'd say that my child watches under two hours of TV a week. Not bad considering the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends under two hours PER DAY.
But when you factor in how often the TV is on when Darius is not around, well, then you can deduce that the adults in our household have a problem. From the moment Darius' bedtime routine starts, my MIL has the TV on. If I'm not the one reading the dozen books to Darius, I'm probably right next to her on the couch. I've found that the sitting down and vegging out has become my way of dealing with the stresses in life. I'm on the go from the moment I wake up and stay in GO-Mode for my day at work, to cooking dinner the second I walk in the door, getting tomorrow's lunches packed, and trying to squeeze in a few more emails before it's 8:00pm. Some days are down right exhausting from dealing with whiny people at work to a whiny toddler at home. And that big screen TV has become my comfort blanket.
So this week, I am turning off the TV for me. Darius too, but he doesn't get enough TV to even know what he's missing. I plan on reading some books, finally putting away the rest of the laundry, finishing a magazine that I bought 2 months ago and still haven't opened, and taking an evening walk around the block. The TV in our house will most likely still be on come 8:00pm. But it won't be me watching.
