Drastically simplifying; Saying goodbye to the TV


I read the following in a magazine this week: Clutter is anything that gets in the way of the life you want to live. It really made me look again at some things that I normally wouldn't define as "clutter." I am always wishing I had more free time. It never clicked until last night that I have a decent amount of free time, I just choose to spend it with my television after the kids go to bed. I listed all of our televisions on craigslist today. I read in my Simplicity Parenting book last night that by the time the average person reaches age 70, they will have spent the equivalent of 7-10 years watching T.V. Right then and there I decided that I didn't want to give up that much of my life and my children's life to the television. Other interesting stats in this chapter:
  • Multiple studies have now concluded that watching tv, even educational programming like Sesame Street, actually delays rather than promotes language development. 
  • EEG studies show diminished mental activity while watching tv compared to other activities. 
  • By 3 months of age, 40% of babies are regular viewers of DVDs, videos or TV. By 2 years of age, that percentage rises to 90%. 
  • Kids ages 8-18, spend an average of more than 3 hours a day watching TV, not including video games or computer time. When all media use is taken into account, the average use is 6 hours a day.  
After getting rid of the TV, the average family doubles it's free time on average. On top of that benefit, we will be saving close to $40 a month on cable and Tivo charges and we'll have a little extra money hopefully from the sell of our TV's and accessories. I really want the kids to lose their dependency on the TV. I think that they'll learn and discover things that they never would have otherwise. So, this is the next step in our crazy, unique life. Will someone PLEASE come buy our TV's before we change our mind?! :)

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