No Cable/Satellite TV! Am I the only one left???

[Bob_Skurka]

We live about 5 or 6 miles outside of a small town, but we are still fairly close to Chicago (downtown is about 1 hours away). We get broadcast TV signals out of Chicago and can pick up the networks, and the few other stations that broadcast over the airwaves, and for the most part they come in pretty clear (or at least clear enough).

My daughter is 9 and attends school where she claims she is the ONLY child in the school who doesn't have cable/satellite TV. We also limit her to 1 hour of TV per day on the weekdays but loosen up that restriction on the weekends. Our logic is books are good. Playing with friends is good. Playing by herself, painting, drawing, etc are all better than watching TV.

But then her friends come over to play and they talk about TV shows that she never sees and I wonder if we are actually depriving her of someting or if we are the only sane people left who think that too much TV is a bad thing?

Those of you with kids, or who have raised kids . . . any thoughts? Are we just mean parents?

 

[SteveH_CT]

Funny you say that - I thought I was the last person in the country to have analog cable. My Wife and I recently began trimming the TV watching hours. I applaud what you've done - it's really not a hardship to have to do something other than TV. We've got her doing arts & crafts, books, and yes, game-boy advanced... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif. But we're working towards a lot less TV and more real mind and body activity.

 

[ducati996]

T.V is bad and you are doing the right thing....of course I enjoy the adult material to the fulliest, I'm a hyprocrite when it comes down for chosing what my kids will watch ( The kid thing is in the works, as I speak -dont have them yet /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The stuff that is shown on MTV is the most influentially destructive in my opinion....there is no way that will be displayed in my house - I have satellite and all of that will be locked out or disapear in its entirety....the last thing anybody wants to hear is 9-13 year olds talking about sex....bad idea at such an early age, plus the image of some rapper dude being a jerk....I dont think so...

Duc

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( she claims she is the ONLY child in the school who doesn't have cable/satellite TV )</font>

I suspect there's a very good chance she's right.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( think that too much TV is a bad thing )</font>

Yep, I think you're right, too.

 

[PineRidge]

Bob you mean they still sell conventional TV antennas that are mounted on the roof???? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif And your association let's you get away with those hideous looking things on the roof???

I'm out in the country and I thought everyone was on satellite or cable. We have two dishes in our household. One that serves our TVs and a second for high speed 2-way computer access. I wouldn't be without either, OK I'm a bit spoiled now. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Let the kid have cable so she can watch SpongeBob Square Pants.

BTW I am also pulling your leg a bit. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> Bob you mean they still sell conventional TV antennas that are mounted on the roof???? And your association let's you get away with those hideous looking things on the roof??? </font>

Yup, they still sell those antennas at Radio Shack! And I am on the neighborhood architectural control committee so I approved my own rooftop antenna years ago. Then I changed the rules to elminate them and "grandfathered" mine in so it can be replaced if damaged! Using that antenna we get about 10 channels, there are a couple others but they are pretty worthless, plus there are 2 or 3 Spanish language channels but I don't speak Spanish, so we have 10 to choose from and that has suited us fine so far.

<font color="red"> I'm out in the country and I thought everyone was on satellite or cable. We have two dishes in our household. One that serves our TVs and a second for high speed 2-way computer access. I wouldn't be without either, OK I'm a bit spoiled now. </font>

I also have bi-directional satellite for internet access so I can work from home. We us Skycasters, it is a bit pricy but very good except in the worst storms when the signal degrades.



Bird . . . I know that in her grade, she is the ONLY kid who doesn't have cable/satellite, and I am beginning to think she may be the only one is the entire school.

And maybe I am just a cheap b@$+@?d, but I really don't get the concept of paying $50 to $100 a month just to watch TV.

Then again, I've been looking at the Plasma TV thread that is running on TBN and I don't get the concept of spending $7000 on a TV set either. And please don't misunderstand, I don't live in a box and askew technology, I love technology and am pretty much a geek wannabe when it comes to electronic toys, but when it comes to TV sets I just have a hard time parting with my cash.

Every now and again the lovely Mrs_Bob comments that we should get a mini-dish but then the desire seems to pass. And we don't have enough time to even watch the network TV shows that we record so why will adding 100 more choices help? But I keep going back to our daughter and wondering if the rest of the parents at school are insane for allowing their kids to sit for hours on end in front of the tube. My child will sit, if given the chance, for hours on end in front of a TV set. It just seem crazy to do that.

And I should point out, I'd often prefer to sit and vegitate in front of some mindless mental bubble gum that they send over the airwaves, but my hypocracy aside, I think the limit we put on our daughter has actually reduced the amount of TV time we have been watching, and that is probably good for us too.

 

[To20Chris]

Nope, you're on the right track! At this point, we have cable ONLY because the kids watch PBS and the Animal Planet channels, and they are only on cable. Once they are done with that, the cable is out of my house. I have not watched TV for at least 6mo., and then it was a History channel or TLC show (I CAN get pulled into those!). Most of the shows are ones I would not let my kids watch anyway, and paying the cable bill for those two is really not worth it, but I got it as part of a package deal with my cable modem, and they got used to it. Now I'm on DSL, and I'd really like to turn it off completely, but......

 

[Lazy]

Hi
Are you picking her friends also? remember what goes around comes around. you only have control over kids a very short period of time. Then they take control and how they treat you will be determined by how they were treated. I think you are making a big mistake. Our children 2 daughters pushing 40 still come to dinner once a week and we see them a lot on weekends, I hope you are as lucky as we are.

Charlie

 

[Golfgar4]

Bob,

I wish we had made the decision not to have cable when our kids were growing up. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif You're doing the right thing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Look at it this way. Even though your daughter doesn't understand this now, when she's older she will appreciate the time she spent with her family doing things together. Chances are if you had cable or satellite, all of you'd be watching the "tube" (hmmmmm.....can't really call it that anymore, can we? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif) instead of talking to each other at dinner or doing all of those things that keep you so busy, which is still better than watching the box.

I'd be willing to bet that, overall, you have a better relationship with your daughter than most of those other kids have with their parents.

We were lucky with our daughter, who is the oldest. She enjoyed doing things by herself without the need for being entertained by TV. Today, she reads 2 to 3 books (or more) each week, has many varied interests (the least of which is TV), and is a very interesting, well rounded individual. She is as informed about the world as anybody can be, and makes her own decisions about what she believes and doesn't just follow along like so many others do. I truly believe this is because TV was not a major factor in her upbringing.

Now our son, on the other hand....... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Well, let's just say that he was very typical, and although he is very successful now , it sure took him a while to get there. And yes, I do believe that his addiction to TV had a hand in that too.

Bottom line is that no one can be sure how a child will be influenced by the exposure to TV, but in my opinion, I really do believe that those kids that have limits put on them tend to become more rounded, forward thinking individuals than those who spend an inordinate amount of time watching the TV.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Varmintmist]

I cant get cable, I dont want a dish. Why pay for 40+ stations of crap when I can get 7 stations of crap for free?? There was a knock down drag out with the daughter about cartoons once, and the TV went into the attic, for a year and a half. I didnt miss it a bit. I came down when she had surgery and couldnt move around a lot. Put on the rabbit ears and VCR, and thats where it has been for around 4 years. I did get a free antenna so we might get some more stations, if I get around to putting it up before the kids start college.