television viewing

[illinoismommy]

I believe or hope this is anonymous so everyone is honest ..... if you are home all day, how much is the television on even if no one is watching it?

this includes videos

I'm curious

I'll go first. It's on a lot more than it should be. It had been on more than 4 hours a day-though honestly I don't like thinking about exactly how much. At times, it's for me to watch while doing something mundane, like folding clothes. I watch craft/decorating shows to relax/get ideas. Other times, it's for keeping the kids entertained. They used to watch more Noggin shows or NickJr. But now they are more into PBSkids shows.

I'm turning it off more now, and especially if we spend more time outdoors, now that the weather is nice. Being in the midwest, winters are the worst for too much tv viewing.

I've been trying to keep music on instead of tv viewing. Sometimes it works, but early morning is the worst because it takes me a while to wake up, so the tv viewing happens most often in the am.

[ranade3]

I let the girls watch an hour to 1.5 hours first thing in the morning while we are all 'waking' up and then in the winter especially I let dd1 watch a video while dd2 is napping though today I didn't because it's nice out. And then most of the tv time is ME! After I put the kids to bed I go on-line and watch tv at the same time for 2-3 hours. Dh works a lot of evenings.

[RealLifeMama]

A lot the past month or so. Way too much.
I don't know how to vote, really, but I am really thinking of just getting rid of the TV all together, because it is too tempting for the kids and me. It is very old, like between 10-15 years old or something, and we don't even get good reception, so maybe it will break soon and since we can't afford a new one, that will be that!

[klpmommy]

I didn't respond to the poll b/c it really just depends. Some days it is on for 10 minutes for me to check the weather channel, somedays it is on in excess of five hours - several hours for the kids & a movie for dh & me once they are in bed. But it is never on unless someone is watching it. That is one of my huge pet peeves.

Ours is on "for noise" a lot, especially while I'm doing housework or cooking.

[Dana Joy]

an hour at naptime (diego and dora)
an hour after dinner (disney sitcoms / full house)
3+ hours after kids are in bed- i watch way too much- my soap, er, greys, lost, law and order (all 3), csi (just the original), house

[Benjaminswife]

I will watch 2-3 hours after the boys are asleep. Daniel usually watches 0-2 hours a day throughout the day.

Depends on which TV. Most are never on. The family room TV is on for approximately 1 hour on the weekends and for NFL games during football season. The only TV ds is allowed to watch is football games with dh. When he turns 2 we will allow him to watch "maybe" one DVD (30 minutes or less) per day.

The TV in our bedroom is sometimes on at night if I am in the room and dh is doing something else. But, if me and dh are in the room we are trying to make sure the TV is off - gotta have romance and it is hard with GEICO commercials running

We can see the weather without watching TV shows on our TV - so no need for the news. We used to watch a TON of TV before ds was born. But, we vowed not to let that happen after his birth and have stuck to that pretty well.

[illinoismommy]

if we are home all day I let david choose two 30 minute programs to watch (usually videos), if we go out then just one program .... after he is in bed I watch about an hour of TV on average-- some nights two and other nights theres nothing that interests me so I read (people ask me how I find time to read ) .... I find our way is pretty strict compared to average, most people tell me they have it on as background a lot

[milkmommy]

I'll admit while were an active family the TV is a big part of our lives.. SO for us Probably the latter.. DD on average watches TV 2-3 times a day about 30 - 1 hour each. (so about 2 hours a day) On days DH gets up with her he allows a morning show I don't but since hes allowing mommy and extra hours sleep I dont sweat it. I allow her to watch a video at her nap/quiet time after we do books she typically picks a veggie tales movie which run about an hour and we allow one show at bedtime and she settles in before books. SOme days she wont see anything some days well its way more... As for DH and I DH always wees a litle news in morning and when he gets home and watches O Riely each weekday. My vice is TLC take home Chef and BBC Robin hood which I ussualy record and watch while shes ins school or after shes in bed at night. DH and I together watch Heros and house Monk when in Season he likes battlestar galacita. We 99% of the time record these and they get watched over the week ussually at night. SO I'd say during the day from say 6am till about 9pm when Cecilia is in bed its one between 2-3 hours (sometime both at once) with eaither TV /DVD or DVR and then at night another 1-2 hours.
When DH is home all day its on a LOT more hes better but hes still way into TV for noise thing. If I have a TV show on I want to sit and watch and enjoy etc then turn it off and move on with life.

Deanna

[milkmommy]

OH and I admit the days where I really clean when DH taken Cecilia to the park or something so I can work the TVs on. Can't explain it but I just need it on the Radio music doesn't cut it for me

Deanna

we don't have any tv channels, so i'm talking about videos

for a while it was on quite a bit... like 3 hours a day. i was losing my grip on the house and my sanity after the baby was born, and the weather was too hot, then too cold, and I was worn out. james wasn't taking naps and i needed a break!

now we're doing a lot of outdoor time and it rarely goes on during the day. he will sometimes watch a 30 minute video while i put supper together, though. we're all happier, too, and the atmosphere around here is better. i'm very thankful for the pretty weather and our new outlook, and i hope we can make it last

dh and i don't have any videos, and we may rent a movie every six months or so. it's very, very rare.

[milkmommy]

now we're doing a lot of outdoor time and it rarely goes on during the day. he will sometimes watch a 30 minute video while i put supper together, though. we're all happier, too, and the atmosphere around here is better. i'm very thankful for the pretty weather and our new outlook, and i hope we can make it last rock on

Were kinda the opposite here. We live in very warm climate winter tempetures average in the 70's so from say January till about May (around now) we do tons pof outside play as the weather is perfet but then when summer hits and its 125 in the shade its misserable to be outside a lot so the summers are more indoors at least during the bulk of the day. SO TV used a bit more in the summers than winters opposite of what other areas might do.

Deanna

[illinoismommy]

Originally Posted by Havilah

dh and i don't have any videos, and we may rent a movie every six months or so. it's very, very rare.

we have one at a time netflix, and that's been great for us since BC (before children) we looooved going to movies in the theatre