The Enemy of Families: Television

I know this may be an unpopular position with some but I must take a moment to blog on the latest study (there have been many) to comment on the large numbers of hours that children are watching TV. Children on average will spend more time total in front of the TV than they spend in school. And although our kids may not be in school, we as homeschooling families should be aware of the harmful effects of TV.

Notice, I did not say too much TV because I have become convinced of the addicting nature of TV for most folks, adults and children, so I do not know if there is any safe amount of TV watching. The whole thing just has to go.

If you think that I am mistaken about the TV being addictive, what if I challenged you right now to get rid of your cable or satellite? Forever, for good to watch commercial TV no more? Videos or home movies would be OK but no TV programming. None, zero, zilch?

Is she crazy? How could we do that? What we do? I would really miss __________!

Many would be as upset as if I tried to take away their money!

Seriously, I know that it is difficult. I have been there. For two years, we lived without television. We gave in to seductive advertising from the cable company and we got a DVR so we would not feel enslaved to TV schedules or be subject to commercials. The DVR made things better but after some time, the televisions started to feel more like an intrusion. The TV habit steadily became more and more a part of our family life. But I will tell you (as will any family who has removed TV from their lives) it is SO worth it. It is truly a struggle in the beginning but as with any addiction, eventually you will find activities to replace it and those activities will inevitably be better than TV ever could have been.

Your family life will be much improved without television.
Try it. God will bless you and your family in unexpected ways. He has ours.