🚀 go-pugleaf

I grew up without TV but that was the forties/fifties.  Alot of
different personalities came from homes without TV, as people didn't own
them.  We had lots of time and got into lots of trouble on our own.  Not
having a TV didn't mean that we found ourselves in the library all the
time.

I have known a number of contemporary families that didn't have TV's and
they always had interesting, high achievement kids.  The problem with
the conclusion that the total absence of home TV produced high
achievement kids is that the parents who banned TV are interesting, high
achievement people with lots of interests and activities themselves so
cause and effect is not clear.

We limited our daughters to one program/nite of their choice (Little
House usually) and specials as Roots (you can tell it was the 70's).  TV
was never a major portion of their lives as was friends, sports, music
and Scouts.

They are now in their 30's and have similar policies for their
daughters.

I guess my point is it is not what you exclude as much as what you/they
include that defines or shapes the kids.  If limiting TV choices
produces bitter family battles (it didn't for us), banning it totally
may be useful.  I would guess the having regular trips to the library,
household chores to do, music lessons, 4-H or scouts, Y-camp, Little
League, paper routes, etc all defined the kids more then limited TV they
watched.

There is far more great quality TV on now then I possibly could watch.
We recently dropped most of the TV channels from the cable package,
because we didn't spend enuf time with Discovery, A&E, CNN, ESPN.  The
VCR is daily taping something so we have something worthwhile stored
whenever there is time to watch.  For me its European Journal, Jim Leher
Newshour, Nova, Frontline, the Mysteries of Space, Great Performances,
Washington Week in Review, Travels in Europe, Origins, Firing Line, and
talking heads as McLaughlon Report to find out how the political
conservatives are viewing the issues.

cheers, jim booth,   red cedar meeing,  lansing, mi

cheers, jim booth