As a teenager I remember babysitting for a family that didn’t have a TV. They were academics, had three kids, and were on an exchange from Britain for the year. They kept their home cool (even in the winter), ate a lot of food that didn’t have any discernable packaging, and their kitchen counters were usually somewhat sticky with honey.
I thought they were sort of weird.
Now that my own little clan lives more like this family than the one in which I was raised – with its meticulously clean kitchen, brand-name everything, and generously set thermostat – I can honestly say I get it.
We’ve been without a television for seven years.
When it was first suggested to us that limiting my then two-year-old’s screen time would be in her best interest, I jumped at the challenge. (And yes, it was a challenge. Even though Dora was that “friend” I couldn’t bring myself to love, my toddler, of course, loved her.)
Truth is, I had always wanted to have a TV-free living room. The idea of a conversation place dominated by electronics that every couple of years doubled in size seemed manipulative at best. I dreamed of a space where music and dialogue and actual presence were celebrated, not pushed aside in favour of endless home-renovation shows and hockey games.
It was a bit of a sell to the other half, who really likes to watch hockey, but we figured out a way to stream important games online and are able to watch films on the big computer screen I use for graphic design. We didn’t have to become complete Luddites (though one can dare to dream).
This year, Screen-Free Week takes place from May 4 to 10, and families are encouraged to either limit or eliminate screens for seven days, just to see what can come of it. There are heaps of information on how to do it successfully on www.commercialfreechildhood.org, a fantastic website full of resources on all sorts of things to help improve your parenting experience in a society that is geared toward too much, too fast, too sexy, too soon.
It’s an important part of media literacy too. The first rule in that realm is really to know when to turn it off. Consuming media is a choice, but when it changes from being a choice to perhaps an addiction, there’s cause to worry.
It’s also not about the quality of programming. Even the American Pediatric Association recommends no screens for children under the age of two. By limiting screens – whether it’s TV, iPads, iPods, or smart phones or other hand-held devices – families can focus on “creating, discovering, building, participating and doing,” according to Commercial Free Childhood.
Our house is a bit of a perpetual disaster, because we’ve got two really busy girls who entertain themselves by making things (messes mostly) out of crafts, food, and anything related to water and dirt.
They are creative and expressive and dynamic.
I can never really say I know what they are into because it seems to change all the time. I appreciate that in them.
And yes, our counters are often on the sticky side, too, much to my mother’s chagrin.
