Five Reasons Why You Do Not Need a Television at Home

Everyone has a television. So, should you have one too?

The reasons why we do not really need a TV tuner at home varies from the practical to the profound. Let's start with the practical ones and progress to the more profound.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="LCD Home Television. Oh, how far it has evolved since its invention! But do we really need one at home today? How many have asked that question?"][/caption]

1. Who's really having a great time with your TV? and I mean, really? Traditional TV (the "CRT") is becoming obsolete, while the expensive LCD TV is becoming the "IN" thing. Getting one is not cheap. Question is, who really watches your TV as you labor to get it paid? Is it YOU? or your househelp?



2. Your TV ought to be FREE! Each program you watch on TV has rich sponsors. The more people watch the program, the more sponsors. More sponsors, more money. Not a single cent goes to you. TV stations get richer when more people buy and watch TV. Come to think of it, TV stations ought to be the one paying for your TV set! That's a marvelous idea for TV stations wanting to get high ratings, don't you think?

3. What's in those TV programs anyway? Really, do those primetime TV programs teach you how to be a real man? a better husband? a better father? a better person? Do those programs reinforce values that can make you happy and fulfilled, such as manliness, fidelity, integrity, hard work, persistence, creativity, wise spending, calculated risk-taking, etc?

4. TV steals family time. With parents being very busy these days, how much time is left at home in any given day? Subtract from that the time spent on sleeping, cooking and changing clothes. How much is left? Then, subtract further the time you spend on TV. Is it still worth it?

5. Do you really want your kids in front of those TV personalities? According to studies, 80% of a person's psyche comes from what he/she experiences at the age of 0 to 8 years old. Who does the person spend most time at those ages? If you soak your kids on TV, check if you really want these TV personalities to mold your child's thinking.

There's a blog in the net entitled How Much TV Does a Happy Person Watch. It talks about a study that said happy people watch less TV, while unhappy ones watch TV more. Many people won't find this finding very surprising at all. But at least three comments in that same article illustrate very good points for parents, especially fathers.

How TV makes visitors feel...

Most TV watching is not social even if there are other people around (something like sports excepted.) I avoid visiting people who can’t turn the TV off. If I’m not worthy of their undivided attention then I’d rather be alone. (Bassman, 11-24-2008)

How TV makes you and your kids feel...

... companies spend billions of dollars to make you feel that what you have is inadequate. they want you to feel unhappy so you’ll go out and buy their product because according to their commercials, that’s what will make you happy. (Ga, 11-24-2008)

Impact of TV on some kids...

My family watches anywhere from 0-4 hours of TV a week. I have a 4 year old, and I find that when she watches TV, her attitude is TERRIBLE. In my humble opinion, the crap that they put on TV is one of the main causes of the problems with our youth today. (Jack-O-Leen, 11-25-2008)

How about you? What's your take on this matter?

May your son model you rightly.


Marvin
RaisingFilipinoBoys.com

P.S. #1. While I certainly would not qualify as a TV addict, there was a time I used to watch TV too, like most people. I had a change of heart when I realized I was not getting the kind of entertainment I was looking (except in sports and cartoons). I realized further that the quality of the telenovelas simply weren't worth the time and energy.


P.S. #2. Today, our TV at home is used for DVD or VCD viewing only. We have a criteria for choosing which titles to buy. When, after watching The Mask of Zorro, my son all of a sudden wore a cowboy hat, wrapped a black sock around his face, and brandished a stick (which was his sword), our policy at home was affirmed. I'd rather let my son mimick Zorro than some clown on primetime TV.

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