Could you explain how you keep up with a couple current TV shows online? I live overseas and wouldn’t mind a little American TV now and then!

Well, my attitude has always been that in our house we don’t watch “TV”. We watch certain programmes. We look up when they will be on beforehand, we turn on the TV at that time, we turn it off afterwards. (Or we video it and watch at a convenient time). But we never, ever, say “x hours of TV per day.” It makes no sense. Some days there are several things on that my kids want to watch, and some days there’s nothing. The only time mindless TV-watching happens is when a kid’s sick enough to only want to lie on the sofa - and then, because they don’t do it all the time, it’s a good distraction.

We haven’t had commercial TV for 12 years and we have 5 kids (+ another on the way) for 10 of those years. What I did get when dh was deployed for 9 months (to save my sanity) was a TV/VCR combo and movies from the thrift store (that I pick). The little ones can watch occasionally during schooltime to keep them out from the big kid’s hair and the big kids can watch movies from the library. Right now they are watching (not at 7am, but yesterday and today) Kidnapped (next quarter’s book report book). When we go up to Maine for the summer they don’t even have that- gasp! No TV for 3-4 months. They don’t miss it at all.
The super big plus: no clamoring for toys, food, or clothes they see on TV ads.

We haven’t had “tv” for 14 years but have a television that we watch Dvd and video on.  We have an embarrassing amount of videos collected over the years, before our library rented free videos and dvds.  I notice that this time of year there is more ‘watching’ and we rent more things for evening viewing.  Our 2.5yo does watch a couple videos most days, especially if I’m working in the afternoon and the teens are watching her!  There are times I muse over getting some sort of reception so the boys can watch sport events or we can get EWTN but dh reminds me that it would just be another ‘battle front’.  So we rent old tv series and other things to watch some evenings.

I have to second what Cath said. That is exactly how we handle tv viewing in our house. Unlike in my house when I was growing up, the tv is never on just for the sake of being on. There are definitely times in this house when I have to put a show on for the kids for the sake of my sanity! For those times we have a collection of shows on video that I let the kids choose from. The only thing they watch that’s on tv is Curious George.

We do have TV and plenty of DVDs. But we do control their watching. As a rule, they don’t get any watching at all during the school week. On Friday nights, we have Family Movie night when we all watch a family movie together, sometimes even eating pizza while watching! They really look forward to that. Other than DVDs, the thing that really helps us is the DVR (digital video recorder). It’s so much easier to use than a VCR. So we can record shows that we want to watch and the ones the kids want (that we approve). This way, whenever they do watch, they watch a show they particularly like that we already approve of. It means that they never have to watch just whatever is on. They get some time on weekends (depending on what else we’re doing and the weather). I agree with Cath, sick days are another matter! But even then, we let them choose recorded shows or DVDs, but they get a lot of them. They’ve gotten good at skipping commercials (another big plus)!
Arwen, when my kids were little they didn’t see much TV. But we did have some time with PBS or videos once in a while. They do start to pick up on words and actions and (when the selections are controlled) I think it can be a good exposure. Maybe not quite as young as Camilla, but certainly later into toddlerhood.

We do not have cable TV in our house.  So, we watch a lot of PBS.  Our kids (4 and 2) do watch Mr. Rogers or other PBS shows on occasion (maybe a few times a day), especially when I need to get something accomplished.  We are perfectly happy with the programming on PBS Kids and have found that we do not miss having cable at all.  Plus, it saves us money!

I thought I wouldn’t want a t.v. a couple of years ago, because I didn’t want my children to watch “trash.” However, I thought to myself, I am the parent & I have the Control. I love that my kids can watch EWTN children’s programs. I record show’s during the week & then on Saturday, my kids can watch what I recorded for them. My 3 1/2 year old really understands the tabernacle & Who is in the tabernacle. She always informs my husband & I that the Catholic Church is the only one who has Jesus. She also has learned about several Saints. I have witnessed that the show’s further implement what we are teaching our kids about not only the Catholic faith, but how we should be treating one another.
I also like children’s learning channels; SPROUT is great for toddlers.
I really am against sheltering my kids. I know that I am in control & what I say goes!  I am not a mother who will let T.V. show’s run my kid’s lives, but I want to use it as a learning opportunity for them. That’s what my parents did & I have 7 siblings who are devout Catholic’s with beautiful families and a brother in the priesthood.

Evelyn,
Check out hulu.com & I know youtube.com show’s some shows. TV stations websites (cbs.com, nbc.com, fox.com, abc.com) all have show’s you can watch, too.

I use the TV for my benefit.  If I don’t shower before the kids get up then I may let them watch Elmo while I grab a shower mid-morning.  It’s the best way to keep them from hurting each other while I am in the shower!  Also, they often get to watch a 20-minute video after baths and before story/prayer/bedtime.  It helps motivate the bath process.  Lastly, if there is a weekend forecast of totally yucky weather I will go to the library on Friday and rent a movie for the weekend that they get to watch once or twice.

No TV or cable or satellite was never an option in our house, my husband is a die hard Cowboys fan and here in east, you can’t watch the Cowboys unless you have an NFL package.  I also like knowing what’s going on, especially during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.  My sister was working in lower Manhattan, and she called us to find out what was happening.  We block shows and stations that aren’t appropriate and there are no tvs in any bedrooms.  I also don’t allow any tv before homework is completed or after 8pm for the little ones.  When my children were younger I used to let them chill out in front of tv when they needed to rest and had given up their afternoon naps.  I don’t think they are any worse for the wear because of tv exposure.

The little videos on the computer are really becoming a problem. Our 2 year old calls it “TV,” and wants to watch “monkey hat on,” or “monkey drive car,” or “Kermit sing rainbow” constantly. Since they are short, it doesn’t really buy much me any time, and I worry about the ads and other stuff going on on the screen.
She watches “Sesame Street” at Grandma’s, but that’s about it. She also, for some reason, likes “Pink Panther,” which we DVD and that DOES buy us shower time. That’s one show I never really got and feel quite ambivalent about her watching.

My two-year-old needs her Elmo occasionally so Mommy can clean a bathroom or just wipe a table off. We have a tv with a built in DVD in her room (it’s not hooked up to the satellite) for these occasions. She likes to push the button to turn it on. We tried the laptop, she kept closing it! Even though it is in her room, it’s not in constant use. It keeps her in one confined place (along with her younger brother, if necessary) for the fifteen or so minutes of the Elmo’s world segment on the DVD.

And I am with Jennifer. We are huge hockey fans but have no local team to see live, we feel better connected with that. The live feeds from games on our internet, just doesn’t seem to work!

Unfortunately, my kids probably watch way too much tv.  I must admit that since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July, the tv has helped a lot on the days when I have absolutely no energy.  They are limited in what they are allowed to watch though.  Someone in another comment mentioned SPROUT....this is pretty much the only channel my girls watch.  Tuesday afternoon are always EWTN!  My son, who is eight, doesn’t like the “little kid” shows, so he has his own shows that he likes..."Survivorman" and Animal Planet.  As a family, we watch “Jon and Kate Plus 8” on Monday nights.  And...I’ll tell you a secret.....On January 21st, 2009....I will be glued to the tv on Wednesday night at 9pm....I am a LOST watcher!!

If I had everything to do over again...I think I would allow less tv...and once I’m feeling back to myself again after chemo (my last one is December 1st)...I hope to tighten up on everything in my home!!!  Prayers Please.

It’s funny you should ask this now...we are on our second week without a tv set, and I’m surprised at how smoothly it is going! I never intended to be the mom who used the tv as a babysitter, but somehow there I was with a 3 yr old who turned on (and changed channels!) our old tv set by himself, and threw fits when I turned it off. He only watched PBS, and I do credit a couple of the shows with encouraging his absolute love affair with words and letters (Between the Lions is one I love and miss) but finally I took it away and put it in the shed after one too many potty accidents while mesmerised by the glowing box.

And, surprisingly enough, he is able to entertain himself without the danged thing! Our house is messier, and I have to spend less time on the computer, but it has been a mostly painless experience.

Nancy, God bless you in your fight against cancer!  I’ll keep you in my prayers.

And Danielle posted just last week about how excited she is for LOST to start up again, so you’ve got at least one co-fan among the bloggers on this site!

Nancy,
prayers for you as you finish up the chemo..and you deserve to cut yourself some slack, so do it without guilt.

My 2 year old watches Curious George most mornings while I shower and get dressed.  I can’t shower until then b/c my husband is in there, and I am trying to get the older kids off to school.  I have had one too many incidents where she gets into something dangerous while I am showering, so now I happily let her watch. It’s a cute show and she was already obsessed with all things monkey-related before she knew about it.  (you know I will be going to see that Youtube video after this.) My older kids occasionally beg for cable but they really only watch something if I am watching it (ahem, football.)

We limit our kids to age-appropriate shows (as determined by a parent previewing them - not the network rating them), and don’t limit the amount of time spent watching tv.  That said, I have to admit that we do not have the tv on a lot in our home.  Our family watches television together, and it is usually one or two shows a week, so not a ton, as we do a lot of other stuff that just takes up the time (reading together, playing board games, art, music making, sports, and the like).  There isn’t a lot of “free” time that any of us want to spend sitting in front of a screen (barring the computer of course!)

Another mom with only DVD’s and Videos.

It’s partly becouse it’s easier to avoid excessive watching but mostly because we decided that buying DVDs or videos was a better use of our money then cable TV (it was amazing how many videos/dvds could be bought with the money freed up by not having cable).

I do have a rough limit on ‘screen time’ and generally we only watch stuff when the room has been minimally cleaned up and

a) my husband wants to pacify the two year old in the morning while I nurse the baby or

b)a child actually thinks to ask (which doesn’t happen every day.

Balance and moderation. 

I went through a time in my single life for 5 plus years where I did not have a TV, purposely because I had no desire to watch it. It was good.  Now I feel like we can handle a good balance and TV isn’t evil.  Personally, I think there is the risk that is we go to extremes about not allowing certain things ever, it can back fire on us.

The kids watch some excellent educational shows.  I am amazed at the quality of them.  My husband and I don’t watch much and the TV we have is one he won 12 yrs ago.  I can’t say we would ever invest in an expensive TV.

We enjoy good quality shows and videos in moderation.  As a family we stick to PBS, EWTN, History and Discovery Channels.  There is nothing we watch on the major networks.  I especially dislike the commercials. 
I am curious to hear from Arwen and others of what their childhood was like without television.

We’ve been a dvd family for two years, and while I’ve found it makes for a pretty screen-free childhood for my 3 and 1 year olds (a half hour of a pre-approved movie on Fridays, sometimes another half hour another day of the week when I’m exhausted), not watching tv has been replaced with extensive computer time for me!  Instead of vegging when the kids are in bed in front of a tv, it’s vegging in front of a computer.  While I rationalize that it’s more uplifting/no ads/etc, it’s still a lot of mindlessness.  Hmmm… maybe that’ll be my advent focus.

We just started a subscription to SkyAngel, a Christian owned Internet TV service. It does come with NFL Network and CBS College Sports, so my 11-year-old son is happy. Plus, we’re watching Hallmark, Animal Planet and Discovery. We’d love a home decorating channel. There are two with a few shows like that, but not really as good as some that are on cable. Over all, I love the access to faith channels including EWTN and CatholicTV. Would love to see them include FamilylandTV. It’s very reasonably priced ($25/month) and overall most of the programs are family safe.