MamaGrizzly

Our problem is so serious that it seems to be the talk of both of our families - and our neighbors.  My Father called me twice yesterday to talk about the problem.  He’s left 2 voice mail messages this morning.  My husband’s Mother describes our behaviour as “strange”.  My husbands brother and sister cornered him yesterday and gave him a lot of grief on the subject.  They thought our “problem” was strictly related to having small children.  My husband politely told them that he has suffered with this problem for over 15 years - we’ve only had children in our lives for 3.5 years.  I’ve had this “problem” for 5.  It is DEFINITELY not a result of having children.  Our neighbor piped in that he doesn’t know of anyone else that suffers from our problem.  We’re starting to feel all alone.  And, we don’t criticize others for the decisions they have made.  It’s just our own personal “problem” - uh, I mean decision. 

And, we thought we were all alone, until I talked to the neighbor across the street.  She and her husband have the same “problem” that we do - and they feel EXACTLY the same way we do.  And their families have ALSO given them much grief.

So what is our “problem”?  We don’t have cable tv.  It’s not because we can’t afford it, it’s because we don’t WANT it.  We don’t have TIME to watch tv with 2 small children in the home.  My husband said it’s like paying for a golf course membership and golfing twice a year.  Why pay for something you don’t use?  And, with 2 children in the house, I do NOT want them channel surfing through all of the garbage that is on tv today.  But, apparently, it bothers an awful lot of people in our families. 

We actually offended my husbands sister because she wanted us to come over for Mother’s Day and “hang out”.  We know what “hang out” at her house means.  It means that the kids all go in their own bedrooms (4 children in 3 separate bedrooms) and watch their own private tv’s with cable tv piped right into their bedrooms.  The young ones (6 and 7)  can pretty much watch whatever they want - including Nickelodeon which is NOT for children.  We declined the nice “offer” because we said we wanted to spend time TOGETHER as a family - playing ball, taking a walk, going to the pool.  We asked if they would like to join us at the park - we would love for them to join us and we would provide the food.  There was silence on the other end of the line.  Call me whatever you want - I did not want to have children in their bedrooms watching tv while adults ALSO sit around in front of a different tv and “visit”. It just doesn’t sound appealing to me.  Am I that strange?  Our polite declination of the offer really offended his sister.  And, she didn’t accept our offer.  *sigh*

Don’t get me wrong - I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a “prude”.  We DO watch tv with the children.  But, we monitor what they watch.  And it’s not a “babysitter”.  I have lots of different videos for the children - ones that we approve of - and they can pick from them on Saturday mornings.  And I cuddle up with my son on the couch and watch the movie that “he picked”.  One day, when my daughter is old enough, I’m sure that she will join us in the movie selection and watching.  Sometimes I think just that the tv or “boob tube” has taken away so much from the family. 

Oh well.  I’ll be telling my father a little white lie - I’ll tell him today that we got cable.  It will make him ”feel” better.  He thinks we’re missing out on things.  The rest of the family can just deal with it.  I don’t “get” why it bothers all of them.  Are we the ONLY ones out there that choose not to center our family life around the television.