How to con your husband and kids into watching less TV

A couple of years ago we moved into a little asbestos holiday shack while we built our home. This shack was primitive enough that it didn't have a TV connection and I wondered how I was going to cope for 3 months. You see at that time we were your standard family that relied on the big black box to babysit our kids, ensure we were up to date with the state of the world and to provide much needed down time at the end of each busy day. The first thing we did in the morning was turn it on, and the last thing we did at night was turn it off. It was our friend and constant companion.



Within just 3 months of TV abstinence I noticed some interesting changes within our family unit:

• I didn't know what was going on in the world and I liked it! While a lot of people were feeling sorrow and despair about the natural disaster occurring at that time, I was blissfully unaware and was living in the happiness bubble that was my reality.
• My husband stopped telling me to 'shoosh' as I spoke, due to his interest in some rubbishy news story of the day!
• The kids started using their imagination to play games (after an initial period of looking around dumbfoundendly unsure of what to do to entertain themselves).
• I stopped feeling so insecure - I didn't have models and gorgeous TV presenters to compare myself too in the morning while I was still in my PJ's, breastfeeding a baby with some breakfast concoction streaking my hair!

The ever optimistic me was convinced after this time that we were now to become a hippy TV free family, holding hands and singing Kom By Yah around the dinner table at night. Imagine my horror then when I arrived home one day to find Jim's Antennas at my house and my husband smiling with relief on his face that the TV was now installed "Just in time for footy season honey!" Far out I'm sure you can imagine the arguing that went on after that! Needless to say I didn't win that battle (what would a bloody Kiwi understand about the importance of AFL?!) But, I did get a compromise (I later went on to win the battle, keep reading to find out how!) Here's what we agreed on:

• The TV would come back into the house, but would be placed in our upstairs lounge room so that it wasn't the centre of the home, It was to be an accessory not the masterpiece!
• If the TV was on it was to be muted at ad breaks (to reduce the impulse to run out and buy new whitegoods/ bigger TV's because we were brainwashed to think it would make us prettier/ funnier/ more popular!) 
• The kids were allowed to choose a couple of shows to watch and that was it.

Now, clever woman that I am had just a little inkling that if I took the TV out of the room that was warm/ housed the fridge and internet/ had a nice couch in it and moved it to the room that was up the stairs/ had the uncomfortable couch in it/ was cold and a bit lonely that maybe, just maybe people wouldn't feel so inclined to go up there and watch it? And I was right! Oh I do love my female manipulative abilities!

So 2 years down the track and no-one goes up and watches the TV. I love it! I have my family back. I've strategically placed craft tables, baskets of books and toys around the house so the kids are never far from a 'play' station (pun intended). We play board games, go for evening walks, garden or just talk with the kids.

The best thing for me is watching my kids be kids. They get so engrossed in these elaborate games that come from their imagination. They include each other (because you need more than one person for a good game and sometimes even a dog or chicken!), they use props, they draw and cut and paste and paint, they sing and dance. It's just the childhood I dreamed of for them.

Do you think reducing TV time would improve your family unit? Do you have any tips and tricks for cutting down TV time in your house? Here's some pics of what we get up to now that the TV has gone.

Jesse spends hours each day teaching his little sister how to draw

Doing the dishes 

We installed swings on our deck for winding down time before bed

Practising ball skills

Making smoothies like Mama does! 

Developing rock climbing skills

Just hanging out and talking as a family

Andi's favourite pass time - setting up picnics for the family!