Our *Living Without TV* Experiment
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Can I watch something?"
This was the question we heard at least ten times a day from our four-year-old daughter.
My husband and I both knew this wasn't the question or topic that we wanted to be our norm.
How do we create a new habit (or question) that focuses less on watching TV and more on what matters most?
We pulled the plug, literally, and decided for the month of November to hibernate the big black box that was dwelling on our living room table. We called it No-TV-ember, because gamifying life changes makes everything more fun, right? :)
Our daughter was informed the week prior that this was something we were going to do, so it wasn't just decided and gone - poof! We thought it was fair to give her a heads up and explain to her the why behind it (whether she agreed or not).
"The TV takes up a lot of space and time in our days that we would love to swap for more time for play, creativity, games and family hangs."
So on the night of October 31st, we unplugged our TV and placed it in our walk-in closet. We replaced the giant blank space it left with a bear/doll house (we borrowed from my mom b/c we knew Lucille loved playing with it) and some other homemade family decor that gave our space a fun vibe for this possibly challenging time. See photo below.
Then the experiment began.
Let’s see what blossoms when there’s no TV to rely on.
After day three Lucille stopped asking for TV time and movie nights. I was quite shocked that this transition took just three days for her to start developing new rhythms and habits.
NUANCES: We did decide that during this no TV time she could still have access to her tablet, but with consistent boundaries (30 minutes a day, sometimes more for wild life purposes). Also, we only control the TV viewing in our home. It's game on with what unfolds outside our home.
What has blossomed from letting go of the TV:
More interactive entertainment vs. passive entertainment, such as board games (her favs: Candyland, Ropes and Ladders), card games (her favs: Go Fish, Old Maid, Slap Jack), crafts, coloring, connection with family and friends, outside exploration, role playing, reading, creative play and fun cooking ideas!
We created a new project together! Lucille and I have started #WyldeWednesdays. Every Wednesday we invite friends to meet up at an outdoor location to wander and explore together.
Bed time has been super consistent (as she doesn't watch movies before bed anymore). She goes to sleep in the window of 7:40-8:00 p.m. - hallelujah!
Parenting became a little easier as Lucille became adjusted to new rhythms and boundaries. We don't have as many meltdowns as we used to!
We (the parents) canceled our Youtube TV subscription on day 23 of no TV, which saves us $64 a month - woo hoo!
TV and movie time have become more sacred and special since it’s now a rare occasion.
This experiment was eye-opening to how our family's habits and rhythms can absolutely be transformed if needed (and for the better).
Next steps for us...
The TV will still live in our closet for now, because we don't miss it honestly.
We'll bring the TV out once a week for Family Movie Nights together - yay!
This was a challenge we knew we ALL needed.
It taught us how to let go of a distraction (or crutch) to help the family focus on what really matters, and amazing transformations have blossomed because of it!
I encourage anyone reading this to let go of a distraction in your life for 7 days, or even 28 days...and just see what blossoms.
Wanna hear us dive even deeper into this topic?