That is the question.
Our family has lived happily without TV for 9 years now. Okay, we actually have a TV but we don't have cable so that means we don't get any channels. Sure, we watch movies and use Netflix instant stream to introduce the kids to the great old shows, like Star Trek, Doctor Who and a few others. But for the most part our kids, especially our 9 year old son, have grown up without normal television programming.
We don't miss it, even my football loving husband. A couple years ago we still would watch some TV in hotels, but on our last trip, no one even turned the tube on.
It was great to have family time to read and talk, but we began to realize there might be a flaw in our thinking.
Living in Cleveland, someone asked our son what he thought about LeBron James. He stared blankly back like the person was speaking a foreign language. Embarrassed, I had to explain, "Well we don't have TV so he doesn't even know who that is."
Later someone else asked him what his favorite teams were. Again the blank stare. He couldn't even name any teams. Yikes.
Were my husband and I depriving him of essential knowledge in our sports crazed world?
Especially for guys, it seems like the default entry into conversation always revolves around the game, "Hey did you see the game last night?" or "Can you believe that catch?"
It's one thing to not play sports but for a boy to not know anything about any teams, players, or even the rules of the games...well maybe that's going too far.
Worried that if we didn't act fast, it may be too late for him, we decided to take the plunge back into the world of television and give our son a proper sports education.
The cable guy is coming this morning ...and I'm kind of dreading it.
What do you think, do our children need to have a working knowledge of sports to get by in today's world?
Have a great week!
Kathy :)
Our family has lived happily without TV for 9 years now. Okay, we actually have a TV but we don't have cable so that means we don't get any channels. Sure, we watch movies and use Netflix instant stream to introduce the kids to the great old shows, like Star Trek, Doctor Who and a few others. But for the most part our kids, especially our 9 year old son, have grown up without normal television programming.
We don't miss it, even my football loving husband. A couple years ago we still would watch some TV in hotels, but on our last trip, no one even turned the tube on.
It was great to have family time to read and talk, but we began to realize there might be a flaw in our thinking.
Living in Cleveland, someone asked our son what he thought about LeBron James. He stared blankly back like the person was speaking a foreign language. Embarrassed, I had to explain, "Well we don't have TV so he doesn't even know who that is."
Later someone else asked him what his favorite teams were. Again the blank stare. He couldn't even name any teams. Yikes.
Were my husband and I depriving him of essential knowledge in our sports crazed world?
Especially for guys, it seems like the default entry into conversation always revolves around the game, "Hey did you see the game last night?" or "Can you believe that catch?"
It's one thing to not play sports but for a boy to not know anything about any teams, players, or even the rules of the games...well maybe that's going too far.
Worried that if we didn't act fast, it may be too late for him, we decided to take the plunge back into the world of television and give our son a proper sports education.
The cable guy is coming this morning ...and I'm kind of dreading it.
What do you think, do our children need to have a working knowledge of sports to get by in today's world?
Have a great week!
Kathy :)
My husband refuses to interest himself in sports ... but he's a grown man, 6'2" with a commanding presence and deep voice, so he manages to gain respect from his peers even when he flat-out says "Sports don't affect my life." It is probably a lot different for a kid.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if he is more interested in other things than in sports, good for him! It does seem to turn into an unhealthy obsession with so many.
(Says the woman who is only keeping her cable until after the Winter Olympics, because she can't bear to miss them.)
I think you've already laid a good foundation for not being hooked on TV. As long as you monitor what he watches, it will give your son a good glimpse into the outside world.
ReplyDeleteNo television? The horror...
ReplyDeleteHe does need a little education where sports are concerned. I was never big on playing but I do follow sports closely.
Kathy, your dilemma is so real today. Television for the most part is terrible. It's all about people bashing each other for money and money. We have a satellite that's down to almost nothing so we can watch the news, gulf, hockey, Canadian football, and documentaries. We do love the Sat music stations. There are no commercials!
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a huge eye-opener for your son. Hope you keep us posted on what's happening in his relationship with TV.
I don't know who LeBron is; I had to look him up. But I know who Tavis Lulay, Darian Durant, Tiger Woods, Henry Sedin, and Roberto Luongo are.
Louise- Haha, if I knew my son would grow to be over 6", maybe it wouldn't matter so much! :) I love the Winter Olympics too.
ReplyDeleteL. Diane- I hope you're right.
Alex- Well he is excited to watch Monday Night Football tonight!
Joylene- Hopefully he won't get too addicted to it! I'll keep you posted!
Ug! They can get that stuff online. We've been without TV since 2002, and I'd never go back. Too much of a time suck--and fighting the kids to turn the darn thing off? *shudder* But then, we home school, and they're home all day and it's hard enough to get them to focus--say nothing about myself. I'm looking forward to finding out how your family deals.
ReplyDeleteWell we had TV growing up and I never learnt anything about sport - no one in my family is interested, except for Wimbledon and the Olympics. In Scotland, things do tend to revolve around football, but I muddle by somehow. On the other hand it's definitely great for your son to maybe get into playing sports, so understanding the rules would help!
ReplyDeleteI have no knowledge of sports and I'm totally okay with that. But I also think it's good not to be out of the loop when you're a kid in school. Plus, the television is for his education :).
ReplyDeleteTelevision is nearly an essential in today's society, especially if your son has any interest in writing. Not only is a basic knowledge or sports and pop culture a social necessity, watching sitcoms and dramas are important in learning how to portray characters properly in fiction.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a novelty to begin with and for the first few weeks you will probably watch programmes that are really bad. Then it will all calm down and you will be selective in what you watch.
ReplyDelete