The Idiot Box

When I was a kid my mother referred to the television as "the idiot box". Obviously, she was not a big fan. When we were growing up watching TV in our house was definitely a privilege and not a given...and by no means a daily occurrence.

So, if we didn't watch TV what did we do? We played outside. We built forts. We played kickball, baseball, basketball, and Frisbee. We took walks, jumped rope, rode bikes, and somehow filled the hours of our day. We quickly learned to never tell my mother we were bored. If you did, Mom would find something for you to do. Trust me, being bored was better!

My parents used TV as a reward. For instance, if the four of us were well behaved in church we were able to watch Adam-12 and Dragnet on Saturday evening. By the way, we had to be well behaved during church period. There were no Cheerios, small toys, coloring books, etc. to help keep us quiet.

I inherited my mom's feelings about television. I, too, am not a big fan. When I lived alone I didn't own a TV...and I didn't miss it. I have never seen an episode of Friends, Seinfeld, Lost, Desperate Housewives, etc. Again, I don't feel like I've missed anything.

We do have a TV now...Tony insisted. I insist we only have one...no more.

I'm not saying I don't watch TV at all. I consistently watch an hour of TV every Wednesday night. As I've posted before I am a Project Runway and Top Chef junkie. However, after looking at these stats I think it's safe to say I watch a lot less TV than most folks.

The same is true for Lily. Lily doesn't watch any TV. None. No videos. No DVDs. I know some people think I'm crazy...but...come on... she's only 2! I know some day she will watch TV...just not yet...especially not while we're grocery shopping!

Yes, you read that correctly...grocery shopping. I can't tell you how shocked I was today when Lily and I went to the grocery store and found they now have grocery carts with TV monitors in them! Yes, that's right. A 7 inch monitor for your child to watch movies while you grocery shop. Don't worry, your kids aren't the only ones that have a monitor...you get one, too. I'm guessing so you can be bombarded with advertising while you shop.

Am I the only one that thinks that's absolutely NUTS?!? I think it's crazy enough that there are TVs in SUVs/vans. Yes, I'm sure those TVs come in handy on long car rides...but I can't believe all the SUVs and vans I see on the Beltway every day with TVs blazing are on a road trip. I would guess most of them are simply on their way to or from home..kind of like Lily and I were just at the grocery store to pick up a few things. Why would I want to put Lily in a cart and plop her in front of a video when I could talk to her, or play I Spy with her, or have her help me find the next item on our list?

I could go on and on...but I'll stop and get off my soapbox. The air is getting really thin up here.

Mommy only thinks I don't watch Project Runway!