Family room without a TV?

R

red_mct

Cathlete
Does anyone have a family room without a TV? I'm in the process of doing a remodel and I'm very, very, VERY tempted to ditch the TV entirely. Both of my kids have TVs and game systems in their rooms for when they want a TV fix, and I have a 20-incher I am going to use in my newly refurbished workout space in the garage. My XF bought the thing because he couldn't bear watching sports on my "pathetic" 20 incher. And now I am stuck with this huge thing that I have to buy a new stand for (that doesn't look big and ugly, and all of this is so not my style).

Anyway, just wondering if any of you have successfully transitioned your family from the tube, and how you managed it. I don't think my 15 year old will care much, but my 8 year old might.

Marie
 
We don't have a TV in the family room. We have a small TV in the living room that we use if we want to watch movies, and I have one in my workout room. We don't watch TV. We don't have cable or anything so we don't even get any channels. It's really quite doable, and you find that you have LOTS more time without it being there.

I bet you and the kids would survive just fine, especially since they both have TVs in their rooms.
 
Marie,

I am so jealous; I wish I could have a family room without the TV. I have been unable to get rid of "it" and thus have no advice. Good luck vibes headed your way!
 
We have a TV in our present playroom/family room/my workout room. We don't get cable so only PBS comes in well. We are moving this weekend and my new workout room will be the small garage. So that is where the TV is going. We won't have one in the house. We are getting an entertainment center to hold books, games and cards to help with the transition!

Good Luck!
Mary
 
Go for it! We don't have a TV either - anywhere. I have my laptop for my Cathe DVDs and NO TV! My daughters are 5 and 3 and aren't missing a thing by not having TV. When my husband and I got married 8 years ago we decided not to get one. Inmy house growing up there was always a TV going in every room and it is so nice to not have that now. I would really encourage you to do it. I could go on more but I won't for now...unless yo want more encouragement...write back!
 
Too funny, Marie. My future ex husband just bought a tv that is so big, there is no room for it in his girlfriend's house and she doesn't want it in her home. He considered giving it to her dd, but it was too big for her house. Now he wants to give it to me since our inside non work out tv is broken. I DON'T want a TV that needs its own freakin' zip code! I am HAPPY that the TV has been broken. It just sucks the time and life out of us anyway. The only advantage I see in having a family TV is that you can watch family stuff together sometimes. So you see, we both have large TVs we resent. :p :)
 
I think that's a fantastic idea. My husband is in the habit of immediately turning on the tv when he enters the rooms that have them. I wouldn't mind not having one around as long as I have some good books around.

If your kids have tv's in their rooms and you've got one in your garage, I think having a no-tv zone won't be too hard for them to get used to.
 
When I was a teenager my mom put the TV in the basement for about a year. It worked out well, we were always down there and she could get some peace and quiet. Did we just "hang" around the living room playing board games and having good quality family time? NO WAY! She didn't have to hear us fight and had less of a mess in her living area, and that was the advantage for her. Oh, and my sister and I had a little more privacy when the boyfriends came over. Maybe not what she had in mind!

Sally
 
Wow, I applaud those of you that have gotten out of the TV habit. When I first moved to this rural area, we had a TV antenna and only got a few channels. My ds watched a little Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street and Lamb Chop and played, painted, colored, etc all day. Then dh got a dish and middle dd watched more: Blues Clues, Big Bear , etc.

Now with 3 kids little dd watches TOO MUCH TV. x( She has her own shows, but the other 2 have theirs and she watches them, too. It is a real battle for me.

I would have to warn though, if you get rid of the family room TV, but they still have TV's in their rooms, they may just end up spending more time in there. I won't allow TV's in the bedrooms because I want all of us together (I think ;) ) Good luck!
 
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