ONE YEAR

We turned off our TV one year ago today.  Not just turned it off, but actually discontinued our cable service.  In other words, if you turned on our TV today you'd get nothing but a blank screen. We simply finished out the Vancouver Olympics in style last February (staying up into the wee hours of the morning with Apollo Ohno & Shaun White fever), and then had the cable yanked. 

It was a decision rooted in a couple different areas.  First, we, like so many others, were trying to cut down on our budget, and for people who don't watch a lot of TV to begin with (except maybe the hunting channel...), it seemed like a good place to start snipping.  Secondly, while the girls never really have watched much TV (and consequently don't know any better) we didn't want them wasting their childhood in front of it.  Having personally seen too many kids who struggle with language & social interaction difficulites, quite possibly from too much time watching Baby Einstein or Pokemon and not enough time actually talking to their families, I was quick to not want that for my kids.  And Kyle has seen far too many kids who lack physical exercise and therefore overall health due to too much time in front of the TV and/or video games as well. 

Now, don't get us wrong, Kyle and I indulge in some good movie watching together via Blockbuster.com once the girls go to bed on many nights, and I keep up online with two of my current favorite indulgent shows (Grey's & Parenthood).  But we have spent SO many more nights reading a good book, devouring a hunting magazine, having a bonfire at sunset in our own backyard, and actually having meaningful conversations past the dinner table.  No more flicking, no more falling asleep on the couch while something meaningless plays on the TV, no more half-ast conversations put on hold until the next commerical, no more rearranging our schedule or even putting something on hold to watch a show, no more commercials making me feel like I need the latest and greatest, no more negative and alarmist newscasters putting the fear of the next swine flu into my day, and no more exorbitant cable bills. 

I cannot begin to tell you how nice it feels.  How freeing it is.  How liberating.  How many real conversations I've had with my husband in the last year.  How many more quiet moments I've had to spend with God.  How great it feels to have met the challenge and know that we want to go for another TV-free year, or maybe even until the 2012 Summer Olympics (we are sort of obsessed with the Olympics, so missing it would be out of the question)! Kyle will admit to having a bit of a hard time hanging in there during basketball's March Madness, but he is able to catch quite a few games online after the girls are in bed.   

And how many incredible books I've read this year; some 40+!  Everything from hilarious parenting books ( No Wonder My Parents Drank, by Jay Mohr), to classics (Jane Austen's, Pride and Prejudice), new authors (The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton), my favorite indulgent reads (aka; Nicolas Sparks books, The Lucky One, and The Last Song), thinking books (Mindset, by Carol Dweck), survival books (Adrift, by Steven Callahan), appreciative books (The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch), and even self-help books (The First Born Advantage, by Kevin Leman). 

The benefits my kids have without TV as an option are endless.  Most importantly, they know how to play.  They get to be kids when they are just that, kids.   Without creative constraints on their imagination, and without interruption.  We are realistic and know that someday, television will certainly have a role in their lives, but hope that allowing them to be themselves now without the interference of media will allow them to build a firm base upon with which to grow and mature. 

I challenge you to try it.  Even for a week.  Try it and see.  See where a quiet house leads you.