Proposing a new Sub-Forum: TV-Free Families - Page 12

[MCsMom]

Just wanting to add another vote.


Another thing that I am interested in and would love tv-free advice: Value of foreign language DVD's if you can not find people IRL for your child to speak with and you also do not speak the target language? What to do becides DVD's, help finding other kinds of resources such as books on tape for kids, etc.

[momsadvice]

I mostly agree but we are more very limited tv. I mean I do not believe the tv should be a baby sitter and any program your child watches should be screened first. We maybe watch 2 hours a week for the adults once everyone is in bed. the kids might watch maybe 30 mins a week. We try to stay clear of tv and do more videos type watching to avoid commercials and so forth. our children like care bears and thomas and friends. both of which we are ok with them seeing. we have had all the fun conversations explaining ourselves to friends and family. Plus dealing with how to address this issue when they are with other people at their homes. I would like to have a group like mentioned but be ok with the idea of limited tv as well.

[Tradd]

I would so LOVE a TV free subforum! I've been TV free for four years (after gradually cutting down for years, although I was once a TV junkie - during college I once scheduled my classes around my soaps one semester!). I'm single, but want to be a mama eventually, so it's interesting to read about how others handle it.

I have close friends whose oldest daughter is my goddaughter (she 2.5). They're TV free in that no cable/regular broadcast shows are watched. However, the parents have a large movie collection, and my goddaughter has been given a few cartoons. She rarely watches them, but when she does, and you go to turn the TV off, her behavior is disturbing to me - really fights with you, temper tantrums, etc.

I might also be able to help those adults who are looking to go TV free. I have lots of friends who are quite crunchy - AP, CDing, organic, raw milk, etc. - but few are TV free. I'm considered quite a freak for having no TV. Coworkers can't understand the concept. Friends who were over for lunch today were raving how I can go without TV, but freely admitted they have absolutely no self-control, and just couldn't cope without TV. I'm proof you CAN give up TV and have a productive life.

I hang out on a simple living forum and while there are a good many TV free/TV-lite folks over there, it can get kinda touchy at times. It's such a polarizing issue, so it would be very nice to have our own place to discuss being TV free.

[Mom4Sarah]

New to the forum, just joined today. You are my first post But, we are a mostly TV free family and would love a support forum for families like us.

[greenmansions]

DS was TV/video free til I was in my 9th month of pregnancy with DD and couldn't keep up with him. Then with all the nursing problems we had, and DD's naptimes etc it just has stayed with us as the babysitter for when I need to do things that don't involve the kids, or need to do something with just one of them. If the tube's on, I know they at least stay in the room with it even if they don't watch it all the time. (I often come back in the room and they are playing, not watching.) I rationalize it by really controlling what they are allowed to watch - very few shows pass the 'test', and we have cable with on demand so it's easy to do. But I'm not really happy with it, still.

I'd love to wean the kids off the TV but I need help to figure out what to do with them - the biggest "problem" areas for me are my shower, DD's nap, and making dinner. Oh and when we're home b/c of sickness for more than a day. I rely too much on the TV to get me through.

And how to get DH on board? He needs tools too to get out of the habit of putting on the TV for them while he gets ready for work. I think he'd be open to it if I can make it easy for him.

I'm also very concerned about the effects of the media on kids and their expectations of life as they grow up.

Anyway, I'm rambling, but would love to have a sub forum for this topic - it just makes so much sense. I hope it would help to move my family along to becoming TV free entirely, but at least for the kids.

[Hesperia]

I haven't checked on this thread in a while, and I'm so very happy to see the number of replies! If nothing else, that gives me hope for a new sub-forum.

[Mandala126]

Just another vote in favor. Great idea!! We're tv-fee and lovin' it!

[secretresistance]

Originally Posted by Tradd

I hang out on a simple living forum and while there are a good many TV free/TV-lite folks over there, it can get kinda touchy at times. It's such a polarizing issue, so it would be very nice to have our own place to discuss being TV free.

I feel like I've noticed this dynamic as well. Sure would be nice to have a sub-forum in which we could theorize about it all!

[saimeiyu]

me too! me too!
Judging from how many replies there are on this thread, I'd say that opening up a forum for us is more than warranted. I think the reply to "make a thread" on it was incredibly hasty and not very well thought out. Did you check to see if there was already a TV-free thread before you said that?

[EyesOfTheWorld]

Originally Posted by MCsMom

Just wanting to add another vote.


Another thing that I am interested in and would love tv-free advice: Value of foreign language DVD's if you can not find people IRL for your child to speak with and you also do not speak the target language? What to do becides DVD's, help finding other kinds of resources such as books on tape for kids, etc.

I know this may not be the right place (Hey! Maybe a TV-free sub-forum would be a good idea! ) but we've gotten lots of English-Spanish, English-French & English-German books in the babies/ board books section at our library! They even have pronunciations listed. They are very basic (right now we're learning the Spanish words for family members) but great for teaching kids. My husband is about fluent in Spanish & he speaks it to them frequently so we're kind of cheating, but especially with a language that common you should be able to find someone who can help you with pronunciations, etc if needed.

For less common languages, can you maybe form a group with other parents and do lessons? I know some friends who bought 30 minutes a week from a language tutor and he came and taught thier preschool age kids in a small group setting for a reduced rate. Also if it's taught at a local college or high school, maybe a student would agree to tutor your child for a small fee or school credit.

[ShareBear]

I would love a TV-free forum. My kids are already tv-free for the most part, but hubby is an addict (we're talking between three and eight hours a day) once the kids are in bed. I'd love to talk about ways to encourage him to cut back a little.

Another question I would love to discuss, if this forum existed: I have a three-year-old who is constantly on the go and rarely sits still, even when he's sick. Sometimes when he's sick (coughing, asthma) I would like him to just REST already so I turn on a pre-recorded episode of Veggie Tales or Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and he lies perfectly still till it's over. What could I do besides TV to help him rest when he's sick? He loves to be read to and will sit still for an hour if I read to him, but with other little ones in the house, I don't usually have time for more than two or three books at a sitting. So he bounds around as usual until he's having a coughing fit.

That's what I would ask about if we had a TV-free forum.

[SquibsNCrackers]

activities for sick child/child who needs to rest

What about a flannel board with felt cut-out figures? I have a few more ideas but am suddenly getting interrupted .... ! .... bye

[SamuraiEarthMama]

We're another family trying to go tubeless, and I'd love to see a forum supporting this radical parenting decision (probably the single best decision I made as a young mom 20 years ago was to throw out the little b&w tv a roommate left for us).

[Euromom]

Wow! Can't believe this thread is still going!
Here's my issue. It's getting outrageously long! I still don't understand why the resistance to a Sub-forum for a very NFL concept. ??? Seems like the idea would be embraced. Strange.

[2+twins]

Originally Posted by Euromom

Wow! Can't believe this thread is still going!
Here's my issue. It's getting outrageously long! I still don't understand why the resistance to a Sub-forum for a very NFL concept. ??? Seems like the idea would be embraced. Strange.

: I was just thinking of posting that it's pretty clear there's some hidden agenda keeping the mods from giving us this forum that is *clearly* so wanted and needed by the NFL community. Perhaps it's b/c those who still embrace tv have some guilt about it - I don't know - all I know is people can get pretty darn defensive when they still watch tv and find out you don't (ever notice how they launch into their excuses for it even though you haven't said a word against them???). It's too bad mdc can't be more open than that.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by abimommy

Well, as I mentioned previously our main concern with such a thing would be staffing. We have some other things in the queue we are working on atm but will get to the TV free issue when we can.

This is what I stated earlier in the thread. We are short staffed, training new mods and there are still other things in the queue. There is no intent to ignore this issue.