We're Happily a TV Free Family Part 2

This is a two-part post on the hows and whys we don't have a TV in our house.  
We're Happily a TV Free Family Part 1 


So, what do we do without TV?

We encourage imagination
My kids find plenty to do without the TV on. I think sometimes parents put the TV or DVDs on for their children thinking that they need to be entertained constantly or because they feel guilty about not having every minute be 'quality time' with their children.  I don't mind letting my children observe what I'm doing while they do their own thing. They may protest a bit, and in that case I put them up on my back in the Ergo or next to me on a chair.  There is no boredom, and they love to get mom's attention even if I'm chopping veggies at the same time. 

Without movies and television telling them what to think, kids eventually learn to make up their own fun.  My kids naturally mimic what they see us do, which is preparing them for the future.  They both will turn anything into a baby, soup, vacuum, or phone, because they have a chance to watch what I'm doing over and over, and this is how they process it. They try on different rolls; Mommy, baker, carpenter.

(Sam turned this carrot into a baby, and carries it around and pats it as such, as soon as I gave it to him)

As husband and wife, we have more time to communicate.  We plan and dream and explore unconventional options because we have time to think about and discuss them.  It's so easy to get distracted by the TV and then have little time for anything else. Goodness knows it's easy enough to get distracted by the internet, so we keep that in mind too.  For us that meant having a laptop that can be closed and put away, and honestly is a little bit cumbersome to use with the little keyboard and screen and dinky speakers. 

My  husband and I play checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers together often after the kids are in bed, and we can't wait til they're old enough to learn how to play.  (Right now we do a lot of imitative 'jumping' on the checkers board, though).  We sketch out future house plans, talk about the realistic-ness of having a milk goat, try new recipes, read, hubby has learned to play the guitar... We end up doing lots of things that busy families are deceived into thinking they don't have time to do.

Especially reading; I've so enjoyed the world that has been uncovered since I started reading nonfiction regularly.  Don't worry if your husband isn't a reader, mine isn't either unless it's technical manuals, military strategy guides, or WWII history. He usually plays the guitar while I read, or I read while the kids play near me on the floor.  I read and then summarize, read out loud parts that are fascinating, and we discuss the ideas together.

Some books that specifically have shaped how we live and will raise our family:

• You are Your Child's First Teacher
• Mommy Teach Me to Read
• Dumbing us Down
• Nourishing Traditions
• Thou Shall Prosper
• Real Learning
• Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
• Financial Peace
• Gut and Psychology Syndrome

We enjoy planning fishing trips, talking about politics, working on hobbies (sewing and knitting for me, model rockets and hunting for him, fishing for both of us).  Even though we live in an apartment right now, our children are still exposed to a variety of different activities, which I believe will help them to have a take-charge attitude with their own lives.

We've learned that with just a little more creativity, we don't need to own the ideal home to come up with plenty of things to do.  Living {temporarily}in an apartment (or in the city, or during the winter in Montana) doesn't mean that we just give up and turn on the TV because we can't send the kids outside to play, don't have the money to do everything we'd like to, or because we have two small children who need to nap.  We take advantage of the sidewalks and go on walks when the weather cooperates.  We use our little kitchen to the fullest extent.  The dining room/kitchen table is covered with craft supplies, or house plans, or fishing tackle the better part of the time.  We take advantage of the lack of lawn mowing and house maintenance that we have right now, and can spend even more time on hobbies, learning, thrift shopping, and exploring the area.

A good dose of optimism can help you see all the great things that available to you wherever you are.  Excitement is contagious, and rather than having children who are bored and need television to entertain themselves, they too will be overflowing with ideas and activities, as they imitate your enthusiasm for life.

Some TV free activities:
Modelling Wax
Make felted wool balls
Make an ocean scene in a bottle
Bring the outdoors in with a Nature Table and Forcing Bulbs

What things have you learned or done because you turned the TV off?







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