Home » Parenting & Kids » Children » TV Watching

Get Rid Of The Idiot Box

Ranked #3,187 in Parenting & Kids, #103,218 overall

Life Without Television

Two years ago, I made a crucial decision that would change the lives of my family. I decided to get rid of my television. And it's a decision that I have not regretted ever since.

Why take such a drastic measure as that? Well, just spend the day watching what our children are watching on TV these days. Even the cute Sunday cartoons are just filled with violence and negativity that I feel I can no longer tolerate my children watching anymore. And the hours watching a cat trying hard to stab a mouse to death can best be spent outside doing sme healthier.

But strangely enough, my decision actually brought frowns and criticism from other parents I knew who thought that I was depriving my kids. Go figure.

Well, in this lens, I will give you ideas on what you can do with your kids that is healthy, fun, educational and will definitely not rot their precious minds.

Crafts Are Fun

Kids craft

Ive always loved creating things with my hands and I hope that my kids would love it too. Making things out of paper or plaster, then painting them and displaying them prominently in the house creates a sense of pride that nothing else ever will. There are literally millions of simple craft ideas that you could do with your kids that they would absolutely love. I know a lot of people who have said that their kids are not int such things but believe me when I say, give the child a lump of clay, a box of paints and let him get his hands dirty and he'll have more fun than watching cartoons.

Here are some craft ideas to get you started. Google them and you'll find detailed instructions on what to do. And if you find yourself stuck, just wing it and have fun.

Vote for which you prefer.

Here's Some Great Craft Kits You Can Get

Loading

Read A Book Together

Read Enid Blyton booksReading is a great activity. Stories will bring your kids to worlds beyond their imagination in a way television will never be able to do. Curl up together with a book and share your favorite stories. If your child is old enough to read, let him or her read the story to you. Allow them the freedom to express themselves with flair and showmanship that just comes naturally for a child.

What you will be producing is a child that will grow up to be creative, intelligent and in love with the written word.

These Are Great Books By My Favorite Author

I'm talking about Enid Blyton of course

Loading

Just Talk To Them

Children are at the most creative time of a human life and hearing them describe their world with such pure innocence is a treat not only for them but also for you. Get to know your kids. What do they like, what do they think about, what interests them? You would be surprised at how insightful and intelligent their views of the world can be.

I've always believed that the problems facing parents today is because of a lack of communication with the kids. They are people too and they deserve the right to be heard and their views appreciated. I would bet my last dollar that the more time you spend talking with your kids, the more precious will your relationship with them be.

So what do you talk to them about? Well you could
  1. Ask them about their day at school
  2. Something fun that they did today
  3. Their hobbies
  4. Their favorite sports team
  5. Their favorite singer or band
  6. What they would like to do for the environment
  7. A project they would love to do
  8. How they feel

Start A Social Project Together

Teach them to take the first steps in making this world a better place. Not only will you be grooming responsible children but it will also make them look up to you as a role model that they can be proud of. These projects do not have to be too extravagant and time consuming, even simple projects will do a great deal to brighten up this world. Here are some ideas for social projects that you could try.
  • Start a recycling campaign. Have your kids go to the neighboring houses to collect aluminum cans, plastic bottles and paper to transport to the recycling plant. If they get paid by the plant, let them keep the money to buy something for themselves as a reward.
  • Volunteer at a pet shelter. Foster the love for animals at a young age.
  • Visit Old Folk's Homes. The joy they bring to a lonely person in a nursing home will be one of the greatest rewards they will treasure for life.
  • Plant a tree. Let them take care of the tree and watch as it grows as he or she does.

Can You Live Without TV?

I have encouraged a lot of people to get rid of their Idiot Box too but sadly not many are willing or brave enough to live without it. What about you? Can you live without it?

Will you get rid of your television?

Loading

Are you insane? I would die without my TV

wordstock says:

No, I will keep the TV. We spend so much time outside of the home with sports that it is our one way to relax as a family. We watch a lot of movies, mostly the ones that were popular when I was younger. As grandparents raising a grandchild, we have a different take on movies and television in general.

juliavm says:

I would love to give up the idiot box one day, but right now, I need my TV programmes to help me relax at the end of a working day. I'll keep these ideas in mind, though.

markettrol says:

no small kids in the house.....listen mainly news.....and that is not so hot..but I like to stay in touch wit what is happening.

I do not want to be enslaved by the Idiot Box anymore.

suneclipsea says:

I was against this idea in the first place fearing of all the time we can lose with my partner...Unfortunately, he has won this battle and now we are staring in the box each evening and I got dragged into liking it especially on some days when they are comedy series nights :( Totally sad, coz we might have created our own comedies...

squidoopets says:

Absolutely we can live without the TV. We love to do crafts in our home and share them on Squidoo - my eight year old makes money having fun vs sitting there vegging out on TV all day :)

sherioz says:

I wouldn't have cable in the house when I was raising my children and I don't have cable now. I make do with the three main national channels that I can get on an internal antenna. There are documentaries, news programmes and other current events and informative programmes. I must admit that I did follow Masterchef and I learned a lot about food and cooking. I think one of the most important things to know about television is when to turn it off.

 

If you do have to keep the Idiot Box

I do agree that there are some good programmes shown on TV though I will add that spending time outdoors outweighs any benefit TV can have. But if you must keep the TV, monitor what your kids watch. If you can, set up the Parental Control settings. Maximize their viewing on beneficial programmes such as The Discovery Channel. Limit the time spent wasted in front of the TV.

What do you do with your kids?

Give us more ideas of what other fun stuff we can do with our kids and get them far away from the idiot box.

  • wordstock Nov 13, 2011 @ 9:09 am | delete
    Very valid reasons for not having a television. I have considered it but am not quite willing to give it up. Good job on this lens.
  • suneclipsea Nov 12, 2011 @ 12:02 am | delete
    I think we dont have kids coz we dont have time to make them since we are too busy watching the box LOL
  • pawpaw911 Nov 11, 2011 @ 11:21 am | delete
    I have heard it called that before. Good call.
  • juliavm Nov 9, 2011 @ 11:35 pm | delete
    This is a great lens. And for all the help and advise you've given me, Thanks Pal!!
  • markettrol Nov 5, 2011 @ 9:49 pm | delete
    puzzles are alot of fun for kids....Buys puzzles with their favorite characters or pet.

    Great idea for parents with small children....great lens!!!
  • Load More
Show All

by

timothygeorgekessler

I love life, I can't get enough of it. I hope that I can show you how beautiful life can be as seen through my eyes.

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags