Turn OFF the Television, Turn ON the Creativity!

This past weekend my husband and I realized our family was watching way too much tv than we were comfortable with. It's funny, when we first had kids we envisioned a (mostly) tv-free family. We slowly allowed a "Teletubbies" here, a "Sesame Street" there...it was soooo easy to just turn something on for "quiet time" (which was more for us, rather than them) or to give us some uniterupted time to cook supper or pay bills. Slowly the TV was on more and more. Well, it's time to STOP!! We're not at the point yet that we want to give it up completely, we all enjoy movies (we ditched cable years ago - Netflix is our preferred method of viewing these days) and the occasional well-done series. The kids are each allowed to choose ONE show per day (so a total of two) - we're clear these are NOT movie-length programs. We will have family movie night once a week with popcorn and all that fun stuff.

Since we did this, we have gotten more exercise, cooked more homemade meals, colored, read, played outside...you know, the FUN stuff. I haven't missed the TV at all. During those times when I used to feel I "needed" it on - I've been encouraging the kids to do something they can do safely and quietly at the kitchen table or living room (reading, coloring, playing with Legos...). And a few times they have told me they're, God forbid, BORED! In the past when this feeling occurred, they simply turned on the TV. The new rule is providing them with the opportunity to be creative with their time just like I'm trying to be. I try to give as few suggestions as possible - offering them only when/if they are completely at a loss (usually means it's time for rest and books!).

I'm not in any way trying to be preachy or "holier than thou". We really WERE watching too much and I really want to see this change in my family. It's only been a week, but I'm determined to make it work. I'll probably falter sometimes in moments of exhaustion or weakness...but I'm going to make a real effort. Why don't we all try to do it together and share our experiences (and creative ideas!) I promise to keep the BCM ideas flowing!!

Try it - even for a little while - to see how your life and family can be changed. Let's make more time tuned in to each other rather than being tuned in to mind-numbing shows (that we probably won't remember within hours anyways). Remember, the little things end up being the big things that we remember down the road.