7 Positive Things About Turning Off Our TV

If you’ve read our blog for very long, you know that Leah and I made the decision over a year ago (about 14 months ago now) to cancel our DirecTV subscription. We get zero channels on our TV.

Now, that’s not to say that we never turn on our television set. We have several seasons of some favorite programs (The Cosby Show, Full House, Little House on the Prairie, etc.) on DVD, as well as a few children’s shows (Word World, Super Why!, Franklin, Loony Tunes) on DVD. We watch these from time-t0-time, but the amount of time the TV is “just on” has gone down dramatically.

Some, when they learn we have no cable, think that we have lost our minds. How do we keep up with things? What do we do for fun? While we may  not know every facet of every TV show or every angle of the news, we have found many positives about turning off the TV. Here are just a few.

1. Less “mindless” time. Yes, we still waste time on other things (and do so too often), but it is just too easy to watch TV “just because.” We have found that we are getting far more things done and doing more important things than when we had television.

2. More conversation. Leah and I have made more effort recently to communicate. I’ll admit that she is far better than I am. However, it is easier to have deeper communications when we aren’t just thinking about what’s on the tube, or when we aren’t fighting the glowing box in the room. We also are able to better communicate with our kids.

3. More imaginative kids. My mom noticed this over the past couple of months. Every child has an imagination, but she thinks that (especially) Mary Carol has developed an amazing imagination, in part because she is not sitting all day in front of a TV. Our kids have to think of other things to do, and they are pretty good about doing just that.

4. More money in the budget. How much is cable/satellite costing you just on the bill? Before we turned ours off, we were spending about $65 each month on television, not to mention the electric bill. It is amazing how much more “room” there is in the budget with that one bill removed. Also, with no commercials, we are not as tempted to buy certain things we don’t really need. You know about those 5:00PM pizza commercials that make you want to just run out and get a pizza instead of cooking supper? We don’t see those!

5. Less temptations right in our living room. Let’s be honest. Whether we want to admit it or not, nearly every channel on the TV is filled with temptations. From cursing to immodest clothing to taking the Lord’s name in vain to gratuitous violence to a constant barrage of alcohol commercials, television programming is filled with things no Christian should view. Do you even still blush when someone on Prime Time TV takes God’s name in vain? Does it bother you at all the way most women dress in nearly every program? I don’t want those things in my living room, and I for sure don’t want to pay money to put them there!

6. Easier control of what is seen. Our kids cannot say, “Let’s watch the next show.” We can’t just say, “Let’s just see what’s on tonight.” We might choose to pop in a movie or DVD of a show, but we know what’s on every episode before we watch. There are no surprises. And, it’s pretty amazing that, when you watch TV this way, it is far easier to turn it off.

7. More reading. Our kids love books. I think one reason is that they see Leah and I reading on a pretty constant basis. What do you think they would love if they saw us “vegged” out in front of the TV set on a constant basis?

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Yes, I could add to this list, but these 7 reasons should be enough to show you that this is something worth trying. I am sometimes asked if we “miss” having TV in our house. I’ll be honest, I do miss watching a ton of sports, but I still keep up with them via the Internet. However, I don’t miss the lack of sleep or the mindless hours watching games that don’t really matter.

So, to the question of do we miss it, the answer is really “no.” We don’t miss it, and we challenge you not just to downgrade your cable package, but to shut it off. Try it for just one week. I think you will be amazed at what it does for your home! You may just end up making the phone call and saying, “Cancel.”