Turn Off the TV - Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Current Events

Once I'd made the decision to be intentional about my television watching, it suddenly became a lot easier to cut the junk. Daytime television no longer existed. I picked a couple shows that I definitely wanted to make sure I watched during the week. I remember Gilmore Girls was one of them; Supernatural was another for about 2 seasons - mainly because it premiered in the slot after GG.

Suddenly, I wasn't spending evening after evening watching television. (My computer usage has gone up, but in this past year I've spent a ridiculous amount of time working on school stuff.) It took quite a while to acclimate, and at times that meant playing a lot of music to help fill the silence.

We've added a child since then, and they both do enjoy a bit of tv viewing as well. After lots of trial & error, we've settled on one short movie (i.e. 1 hour or less) on weekdays, and one movie of their choice (from a parent approved list!) on weekend days. The kids really do not watch live programming - too many commercials, and harder to fit into our lives.

As my favorite shows ended (or jumped the shark), I've noticed that I don't even watch much live television myself anymore. While I will occasionally watch sitcom reruns right before bed, I can honestly say there is no current show that I must watch. It's been kind of liberating - there are no longer nights where I'm scheduling everything around a certian show.

One major unexpected benefit is that I have begun re-sensitizing myself to some things. Excessive violence and gore truly bothers me, and I really can't watch a lot of it anymore.

It's not to say that I've never missed television, but I do appreciate the fact that it's been relegated to an activity (even a winddown), and not a lifestyle.