My son knows five kid-show characters: Elmo, Thomas, Fireman Sam, KoKo, and Diego. I always have to explain to people why he has no response to, “Look, Bear, it’s Jasper the NeverEnding Story Pirate-Vampire!” He’s just not exposed to it because we got rid of our cable and he watches very few shows. Look, people, we aren’t a hippy-dippy Waldorf-inspired, nature-centered, chia seed sprouting, wear our-underwear-twice-to-save-water-kind-of-family. I enjoy my particular sitcoms and dramas and guilty pleasures (coughTheVoicecough), too. So, when I say we are tv-free, it isn’t entirely true. We still indulge in pop culture online but we have more control. I choose what I want to watch, when I want to watch it, and if I miss something…meh.
The freedom is fantastic.
Cutting television has done wonders for minimizing the “I gotta have it!” thoughts, the feelings of entitlement, the need for perfection, and the cravings for junk food. It’s easier to refuse what we don’t want, and be happy with what we have.
I find myself reading more books and thinking, as I once did in college, in poetic phrases. Indulge me for a moment:
This week is Screen Free Week, a national initiative from Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. Visit their site to learn more about Screen Free Week and get ideas to help you unplug your family from the binding cables of advertising.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve pretty much eliminated watching TV and prefer reading and blogging instead. Trying to cut out more with my kids too.