Do your kids have tvs.....

[MiniGirl]

in their bedrooms?

After reading the bedtime thread, I wanted to ask this. I didn't want to hijack that thread, so I'm starting a new one.

I've noticed many of you have said that your kids are in bed by X:XX but they will watch tv and fall asleep around X:XX. My oldest (7) has been asking for a tv to be placed in her room for awhile. She tells me, with all the drama she can muster (and believe me, that's a lot), that she is the ONLY one in her class without her own tv. Truthfully, I tend to believe her. I know all of her friend's homes that I have been to the kids do have tvs in their rooms. My best friend has 4 tvs in her 1500 square foot, 3 bedroom house. Our house is over twice that size, and we have 3 -- family room, master bedroom, and guest room.

Please understand. I'm not flaming. While my friend has tvs in each bedroom and family room, her kids love playing outside and they really don't watch them that much. However, I struggle with my kids watching so much tv. My girls get hot very easily, and hate to play outside. Also, if I can't engage my girls, they will tend to sit in front of the tv or at the computer. Not always, but enough that I'm reluctant to add a tv to their room. And while, I'd love to sit and play with my girls, I just can't. Laundry needs to be done. Dishes, too, etc, etc.

So, all this just to ask if your kids have tvs in their rooms. Am I being unreasonable or mean because I won't do it?

[Pixiedust34]

Our kids don't have TVs in their bedrooms.

[DAISY DUCK FAN!]

Neither do ours.

[ilovejack02]

I wouldnt have bought one, but a close friend bought DS4 a Sponge bob square pants tv. He actually doesnt watch it alot. If he did I would make him turn it off lol. I didnt want to put it in his room, but its a big YELLOW sponge bob, so it wasnt going anywhere else. He plays Vsmile on it, because Im not going to have those games strung out in the living room. He also watches it while im cooking dinner because I like to have the news on. But other than that it doesnt get turned on alot. He plays outside alot and sometimes I just dont let any tvs on in the house. We also dont watch tv before we fall asleep, 8 pm is bed time and thats it.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

As I kid, I used to hate hearing my mother say "I don't care what so and so's mother does...this is my house". And now-I use that phrase pretty often! :lmao: I think you have to do what works for you and your family. Sometimes it means going against the masses, but the kids survive. My kids tell me they are the only ones out of all their friends that don't have cell phones (for about 4 years now) and I do know that this is true, but I didn't want my kids to have them and they've made it through and they were not teased by their friends. Now they are older and we are looking to get them phones, but my point is that me and DH did not cave to the pressure of what other families were doing.

That said, my kids have tv's in their rooms. In fact, we have one in almost every room of our house-even the kitchen and master bath. Funny thing is that I almost never watch tv. My DH however, is the armchair warrior! :happytv: The kids are good about their tv's-they have had them since I can remember (probably even before elementary school). If they are ever caught having them on after they are supposed to be in bed, the cable cord comes right out of the room. They don't sit and vegetate in front of them either-they are active kids.

Anyhooo....do what you think is right. :cheer2:

[2Monkeys]

Mine don't either, for the exact reasons you've listed. They do have portable DVD players that I do allow them to watch in their rooms, but that happens very rarely. If you have a hard time getting your girls to play outside or otherwise engage in non-tv activity, I would stick to your guns and not let them have it in their rooms. I always tell my children that I am not their friends' mother and that's why they have different things than we do.

[eliza61]

My kids are 16 & 13 and they don't have TV's in their bedrooms. After countless years of whining, they've given up and moved on to whining about some thing else.
My reasons.

1) Nowadays the shows they want to watch are on cable. There is no way on god's green earth, I'm paying for cable tv in every room. I have comcast cable and it already cost a fortune for cable in 2 lousy rooms. So a tv in their rooms would just have the basic tv (CBS, NBC etc)

2)I don't like the whole "go in bedroom, close door" thing. We're pretty old fashion, we monitor who they chat with on the computer, what video games they buy etc etc. I know they are teens but you want privacy... Graduate from college, get a job, get your own apartment. All the privacy in the world

[powellrj]

my kids have tvs in their rooms, but they really don't watch them too much. We have a small house and its great sometimes for them to have a place where they can just "get away and chill" for awhile.

If you want to limit how much they watch, just use rabbit ears and don't hook them up to cable. There isn't much to watch in our area unless you have cable, so they only tend to watch when there is something on the main channels and we are watching another show downstairs.

[jenrein]

Mine do- the girls share a room and have a tv and a dvd player. My son has a tv with the xbox. They go to school from 9-almost 4. Then they have lacrosse or dance. By the time they get home we have dinner, showers and bed. My kids are smart, they play outdoors and they watch tv. TV is not the devil or the antichirst. Its a form of entertainment and for me its quite relaxing to sit and watch a show...and the kids like to watch a little tv at night. They fall asleep and I turn it off before I go to bed myself.

[disneymomto5]

My kids get TV's when they are seniors in High School, mostly to take to college with them. And like the above poster, I'm definately not putting cable in their rooms!

[dhardawa]

My daughter has her own tv, but it is in the playroom, not in her bedroom.

[tttessa]

Hiya,
we have a "spare" room with a tv in for them to play video games on, (spare meaning home office/storeroom/ z-bed room for relatives coming etc....) but not in their bedroom - that's for sleeping in.

Tessa

[plutolovr]

Hmmmm! My kids are 19 and 21, in college but still come home, and they have NEVER had TVs in their rooms or computers. In fact, we just moved to a new home and I told my daughter she can get a TV in her room and she said she didn't want it. We have a 2nd TV in the wreck room upstairs they can watch with a TIVO so they can record their programs while they're at work.

When my kids were little, they had set bedtimes and never had an issue. In fact even in high school, unless they were working, they had to be in bed by 11pm.

[HeatherC]

My 3 kids don't have tv's and probably won't ever. That is because we already have 4 others in the house. The major reason I won't let them is because they have all become avid nighttime readers. I am convinced it is because the tv is not there.

We make them get ready for bed between 7:30 and 8 and they usually will go read in their beds for an hour to an hour and a half. I don't have any other friends whose kids read like that. I don't force the reading, but they love going to the bookstore and picking out their own books. I don't care what they read as long as they like it. (Age and subject appropriate of course.) My son loved the Captain Underpants books...ridiculous to me, but hey he read them all.

It really must be working to some extent because all of their reading scores are through the roof...even my kindergartner.

HeatherC

[Keara'sMom]

Hi,
My dd10 WANTS a tv in her room, but she won't be getting one. She also wants a computer in her room, but that's not happening, either! ;) We have tvs in the master bdrm and the family room, and the computer is in the family room as well. We take a portable dvd player into my dd's room when she's sick or overtired so that she can watch a movie in bed, but that's the extent of it. She complains a little, but I think she's pretty much over it.

[pperfectmom]

We have one tv in a central location and that is all I plan to ever have. My mom asked if DD would like one for her birthday and you really don't want to hear my response.:rotfl2: I'm against personal tv's or computers in my kid's rooms but to each his/her own I guess.

[blessedby3]

I have 3 kids and it took until my oldest was 13 before she got a tv in her room. She bought it herself and I felt at that time I trusted her judgement as to what she was watching on tv. My DS11 had only a tv with no cable for his xbox for a long time. The only reason he has cable tv now is because the house we bought last summer had cable already in all the rooms. We dont pay per outlet, just per address. We can have as many outlets as we want for the same price. I moniter what they watch and we have never had a problem. My youngest DD8 does not have a tv and it will be a long time before she does (if ever). She is sneaky and I cant trust her to have the proper shows on a tv in her room unsupervised. My kids are never allowed to watch tv to go to bed, though. They may watch it during the day or a show in the evening, but it goes off before they go to bed.

[traviesojmt]

No, my children do not have TVs in their bedrooms. We have a playroom/computer room off the main living room. We do have a TV in that room for them to watch and play video games. I prefer to have the TV/computer in open locations so that I can monitor what they are watching. I also have the parental controls set on the TV so that a password is required to watch any shows over certain ratings. BTW, my children are DD (almost 4) and DS9.

[Crazy4Disney72]

No, my kids don't have TVs in their bedrooms. Right now we have 3 TVs, one in the living room, one in the master bedroom, and a small 7 inch screen TV in the kitchen. We are moving next month and our house will have a finished basement and we are going to put a TV down there for the kids, thus increasing our total TV count to 4. They all want them in their rooms, especially my soon to be 14yr old DS, but no, they are not getting them.

[sacall]

My girls don't have TVs in their rooms (10 & 8) and they never will. When it is bedtime, they read at night before bed. I agree with what another poster said about getting cable in each room, no way could I afford the bill:rotfl2:

They have a computer in the one bedroom, but it does not have internet access. They use it to play computer games or dance to music. Our main computer with internet access is in an open area. I can't wait until my oldest goes to Middle School next year. According to my neighbor, all the Middle School kids have laptops, well that's what her daughter keeps whining about:rotfl:

Stacy

[clownchk]

no TV either in our kids' room.

We have one in our bedroom where the DVR is, one in the kitchen hung from the ceiling so I can get some adult TV in the AM and when I"m cooking dinner One in the living room and one in my DH"s recording studio in the basement that also has each of the older 2's computers which they only use when DH is down there, too.

DH is the HUGE tv watcher, but I do like a few shows (There are none that are MUST SEES) but I sometimes like to have it on for "Company" at times LOL!

my kids DO have a stereo with CD and tape player in their room. At night I put in a soothing CD and let them fall asleep to that with a 2 hour sleep timer on. Same for nap time. THey have to stay in bed while the music plays.

My computer in in my office right off hte living room. And DH has his own computer int eh studio, too.

[freckles and boo]

No tvs in their bedroom or their playroom. But they do have our oldest computer in the playroom. It has no internet access but they can use it for their kiddie games or for "typing" letters to their friends. It hasn't been on in a couple weeks because they prefer to just play with their toys. They don't get to watch tv after six-ish anyway so it doesn't matter where the tvs are.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I agree with what another poster said about getting cable in each room, no way could I afford the bill:rotfl2:


Wow...I'm totally floored that some places charge per room/outlet for the cable. Holy cow...I guess my opinion would be different if that were the case for us. We have Comcast (although I know rates and stuff vary for them according to where you are). We only get charged for our main tv in the family room because that is the only one with a cable box on it for HD. We don't subscribe to HBO or any other additional pay type channel, we just get extended basic service, so that keeps our bill lower I guess (Comcast still gouges though). Our main tv is the only one that gets the upper channels...all the other tv's in our house only go to about 60-something, which allows the kids to watch the Disney channel. It never occurred to me that some folks get charged per outlet. That is crazy. Guess I am going to have to make sure to check that out when/if we move again. Definitely a good thing to know. ;)

[Darcy03231]

My kids have tv's in their rooms (13 & 15) w/ a dvd player. TV's aren't hooked up to cable so the only thing they can watch in their room is dvds. DS also plays his playstation on his. I've found they really don't use them much.

[beattyfamily]

Yep, my girls (ages 7 and 10) do have a TV in their bedroom.

They watch TV at bedtime only on weekends or vacations.

[Twingle]

Nope - no tv's in the kids rooms. But then, we don't have a tv in our bedroom either. We have one tv - in the family room. Our kids will not get a television in their room while they live here, I guess we are just old fashioned in that regard.

But then, we also have a no television rule during the week, and are the only family we know that do that.

[CampbellScot]

my step kids have TV's in their rooms. I was initially WAY against it, but it's turned out to be okay. The tv's are hooked up to V-smile and some other "educational" video games. Both TV's have DVD players built into them. They are allowed to watch a dvd at bedtime for 15 minutes. It helps my step son to calm down and get ready for sleep. Other than at bedtime though, they don't watch tv. They are involved in sports and dance class and a zillion other things. My step son would rather be outside bugs hunting than inside.

they are nice for when the kids are sick, or when they are getting on each other's nerves and it's too cold, wet, hot to go outside. They go to their rooms, pick out a DVD and just CHILL OUT for a while.

I think it all depends on the kids you have. If you have a child who is a TV junkie and would rather sit in front of the TV than do anything else, I might not allow it. But if you control the television and when it is turned on, it's not a big deal. :happytv: ;)

[Mean Queen]

We had always said we wouldn't put a TV in our DD's bedroom, yet when the new baby came along, we did. But, the TV has no antenna or cable attached. Just a portable DVD player that we can take in and out of the room so she only watches it when she's allowed. One day when she gets older, we plan to get her cable but she's only 7 and we want to keep a close eye on what she watches. By only allowing her to have her approved DVDs, we feel it's a compromise we can live with. She gets to feel like a big girl with a TV in her room, and we get to know she's only watching approved DVD's at approved times.

[dougsmom98]

We have two TVs for the two family rooms and my kids have TVs in their bedrooms. They don't watch them that often. Sometimes they just don't like what their siblings are watching on the family room TV so they will go watch the TV in their bedroom. It wasn't really a necessity until we had our youngest. Her idea of a good TV show is far from what her brothers would watch. So, if I want to ever watch the news or a TV show myself, we needed them to be able to watch TV elsewhere.

[sacall]

Wow...I'm totally floored that some places charge per room/outlet for the cable.

It's not that they charge per outlet, but we have Dish and you need a receiver box for each TV. You can get one receiver box for two TVs that are close to each other. Plus, there are no cable outlets in their rooms (built in 1946), so that would cost extra to install. Just not worth it to me.

Stacy

[tmarquez]

We are electronic junkies. We have TV's everywhere in the house. DD has a TV in her room and has had one since she was old enough to say "Blue's Clues". As far as watching TV, we watch about 15 mintues of local news on weekday mornings, and DD(4) watches about 30 minutes of whatever happens to be on the DIsney channel as she gets ready for school. Then at night she watches part of a DVD before going to sleep. DH watches a ton of tv (I think he'd even watch it if it was turned off). I watch about an hour a night before bed. On weekends there's very little time for TV (unless it's football season, then we all watch).

When DD has friends over on the weekends I actually have to unplug the TV and declare it off-limits because her friends that don't have free access to a TV act like junkies around one. Off-topic, but the same behavior applies to candy.

[beattyfamily]

Wow...I'm totally floored that some places charge per room/outlet for the cable. Holy cow...I guess my opinion would be different if that were the case for us. We have Comcast (although I know rates and stuff vary for them according to where you are). We only get charged for our main tv in the family room because that is the only one with a cable box on it for HD. We don't subscribe to HBO or any other additional pay type channel, we just get extended basic service, so that keeps our bill lower I guess (Comcast still gouges though). Our main tv is the only one that gets the upper channels...all the other tv's in our house only go to about 60-something, which allows the kids to watch the Disney channel. It never occurred to me that some folks get charged per outlet. That is crazy. Guess I am going to have to make sure to check that out when/if we move again. Definitely a good thing to know. ;)

We have Comcast too. We only have a box in the family room. That is so we can get the upper (over channel 99), scrambled channels like HBO, Toon Disney etc....

Our other TVs still get all the channels below 100 though; they just don't get the scrambled channels.

[kt_mom]

I had a TV in my room when I was kid. I was still a big reader and am to this day. Both of my parents are big readers. DD4 has a TV in her room but it's not hooked up to cable, just a dvd player. She likes to have it on when she's playing in her room. I think for the sound. I've watched her and she doesn't really watch it that much, she's too busy playing with her toys. At bedtime I tell her how much she can watch. Many times she gets up and turns it off before she gets to that point b/c she's ready to go to sleep or when she has watched to the point I said she will turn it off. Occasionally she will fall asleep with it on if she's really had a long day, but usually she turns it off herself and goes on to sleep. She loves to read and we read together alot. We have had no problems with it at all and its nice not to have to watch Cinderella ALL the time. But like I said she is usually playing and too busy to do anything more than listen to it.

[luvmy2sams]

DD8 has had a TV in her room since she was 3. :scared1: No actual satellite access, just a DVD player. If she wants to watch something other than a DVD, then that's what the family room or mom and dad's bedroom TV is for. She uses her DVD player more often for playing CDs than for watching TV in her room nowadays.

DS3 doesn't have anything in his room, but we'll probably do the same as in his sister's room at some point this year. It's nice to be able to pop a DVD in and cuddle on the weekends. :)

We used to put movies in to lull the kids to sleep at night, but in the past year we've reserved that for weekends and vacation time only. During the week DH and I switch between kids and read books at bedtime.

[Brier Rose]

Wow...I think I win the most tv's/overindulged kids award!:upsidedow

We have 6 tv's, with each of the kids 15 and 8 having TV/DVD/VCR, AND Digital Cable in their rooms!

We have a HUGE tv in the movie room for them upstairs that has a DVR/Digital Cable, Playstation 1, 2, and 3, Game Cube, and X-Box hooked up to it!:rotfl:

We have Digital Cable on the Tv's in both the living room and our master bedroom, and just basic cable on the TV in our Master Bath...yes..our master bath!;)

Believe it or not the kids don't watch TV that often. DD prefers to read, and DS plays games.

I think the fact that it's readily available just makes it not that big a deal to them.:confused3

[beachgrl001]

We have tv's everywhere too, except the bathroom but if it was bigger I would have one in there too with my extra large jacuzzi tub and fireplace(I wish!) DS 12 has a tv w/basic cable, wii, and ps2. He dosent really watch it much he has a computer that he is always on, he makes movies and draws anime pics and likes to put his art on the computer he is never allowed to close his bedroom door (unless he's getting dressed) his father and I are constantly over his shoulder and he dosent seem to mind(not that I would care if he did). He has always been an A student if his grades dropped I would take away his computer before I took away the tv;) I gotta say I love my tv:happytv: I also love to read and will usually go through about 1 book every 2weeks. My 2y/o loves Blues clues too and Mickey Mouse club house

[mom2alix]

No tvs in my kids rooms and I don't think we'll get them. I really don't know where we'd put them and our house doesn't have cable wired upstairs (long story). Any way, we have the tv in the family room w/cable and the DVR for times when we want to watch shows that are on at the same time (Lost/Medium for me!). We do have a tv with built in DVR/VCR in the master and I often let the kids lay on my bed and watch a movie after bath/before bed, especially if DH is wanting to watch something I don't think is appropriate for them to see. Usually that means they fall asleep and I have to move them to their beds. ;)

[jenrein]

Wow...I think I win the most tv's/overindulged kids award!:upsidedow

We have 6 tv's, with each of the kids 15 and 8 having TV/DVD/VCR, AND Digital Cable in their rooms!

We have a HUGE tv in the movie room for them upstairs that has a DVR/Digital Cable, Playstation 1, 2, and 3, Game Cube, and X-Box hooked up to it!:rotfl:

We have Digital Cable on the Tv's in both the living room and our master bedroom, and just basic cable on the TV in our Master Bath...yes..our master bath!;)

Believe it or not the kids don't watch TV that often. DD prefers to read, and DS plays games.

I think the fact that it's readily available just makes it not that big a deal to them.:confused3

My kids have cable in their rooms- but we only have the DVR in the livingroom and my bedroom. The kids were filling the livingroom one with Full House and Zac and Cody so we got our own for our room :lmao:

[kanga24roos]

my older 2 boys 10 & 7 have a tv in their room hooked up to basic cable and gamecube. They only really watch it at bedtime they are extremely active with surfing, skateboarding,snowboarding that I don't really worry about the amount of tv they do watch. And as soon as I get the other bedroom ready I will probably put a tv in there for my younger 2 boys 4 & 2.

[kinntj]

Our kids 3 and 5 don't have tv's in their room. They can watch the one in the guest bedroom, but the only thing they can watch in there are the 2 PBS stations. LOL!

I want to instill reading before bedtime and hopefully that will become a habit. They get to watch tv in the morning for an hour and an hour in the evening while I make dinner.

Just do what feels right for your family. We do plan on buying laptops in the future for our kids, but not tv's.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Wow...I think I win the most tv's/overindulged kids award!:upsidedow

We have 6 tv's, with each of the kids 15 and 8 having TV/DVD/VCR, AND Digital Cable in their rooms!

We have a HUGE tv in the movie room for them upstairs that has a DVR/Digital Cable, Playstation 1, 2, and 3, Game Cube, and X-Box hooked up to it!:rotfl:

We have Digital Cable on the Tv's in both the living room and our master bedroom, and just basic cable on the TV in our Master Bath...yes..our master bath!;)

Believe it or not the kids don't watch TV that often. DD prefers to read, and DS plays games.

I think the fact that it's readily available just makes it not that big a deal to them.:confused3

Oh good...there is someone else out there like us...I was beginning to feel like Quasimodo in the bell tower over here. :eek: We have a tv in our bathroom too...I will watch sometimes when I am soaking in the tub. Not used very often (like once a month at best), but nice to have.

I agree about the tv's not being a big deal when it is readily available. My kids have had theirs forever and they really don't use them much, but it is there for them just the same. They play golf and tennis and they could probably supply our local library with books...their love of reading does not suffer due to the tv or computer being available to them. Most every night we all sit at the kitchen table and play board games because we just enjoy doing things as a family-and the tv is not on for background noise. We don't watch AI or any of the other shows of the moment. My kids, when they do watch tv, like the Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, History & Biography Channel and Disney. Maybe they are a bit freaky in that respect. I don't think there is a right or wrong rationale here, certainly its a personal decision for each household to make.

[solferino]

DD does, but she never uses it. It's not hooked up to the satellite so it's for watching DVD's only or playing her designers world game.

She gets only a half-hour of tv OR computer time on school days, and usually chooses the computer to play at webkinz.

[bellarella]

I'm going to be one of "those" parents :)

No TVs
No computers either

I'll never say never, but it's definitely not in the plans.

[U2_rocks!]

TVs are low on our priority list, so no.

We don't have any strong objections one way or the other - we just don't place enough importance on TV to spend the money putting them in each room. In fact, we just downgraded our cable options because it seemed like a waste of money for the number of channels we actually watched.

[csmommy]

No TV's in their bedrooms. As a matter of fact, they are not allowed to watch TV during the week when school is in session. At first they complained, but after a few days they didn't miss it at all. :love:

[*KeepMovingForward*]

It's not that they charge per outlet, but we have Dish and you need a receiver box for each TV. You can get one receiver box for two TVs that are close to each other. Plus, there are no cable outlets in their rooms (built in 1946), so that would cost extra to install. Just not worth it to me.

Stacy

Gotcha! That makes sense to me! ;) I didn't know that about the Dish. We thought about going that route but really didn't understand how it worked. Thanks for the info! :)

[lcrane]

My 2 kids DD15 DS13 do not have t.v. in there room they ask we said no, we also have the computer in the front room so that we can mointor them at first they did not like it at all, but now they don't care if they go in our room they have to keep the door open even if they are just watchin tv or playing the intendo.

Lisa

[nuttylawprofessor]

My 2 y.o. has a Buzz Lightyear tv in his room, hooked up to cable and a DVD player.

To each his own.

BTW- Comcast is moving to an all-digital signal nation-wide. That will mean every tv will need a box if you want to receive more than basic networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN, PBS) and public access. We're in the middle of the change-over fiasco now. I hate Comcast.

[jenrein]

I'm going to be one of "those" parents :)

No TVs
No computers either

I'll never say never, but it's definitely not in the plans.
I hope youre kidding....no computers? They will go nowhere! Computers are the technology of today- my 6 yr old emails and plays online! I could not imagine raising a kid in this time without a computer....

[KimD]

My kids do have tv's in their rooms DD9 & DS15 but since we have satellite (Directv) they don't have any reception so they are used for VHS or DVD's only. My DS has his PS2 hooked up to his and my daughter will play her princess games sometimes but they never ever just sit in there all day and watch tv (NO WAY JOSE!). We have the satellite hooked up in the living room, our room & den and the xbox 360 stays in the living room with the ginormous HD tv my husband HAD to have (which I admit I love too, the tv mind you not necessarily the xbox but I guess that is pretty cool too with the new graphics they have). No computers in their rooms. We have several in our den (DH is a computer dude) and my and DH's laptop's that we can use wireless in the living room but neither of my kids will ever be allowed to have internet in their room (too much scary stuff to happen with that one). Also if I let DS15 have internet in his room we'd never see him!

I think it's really a decision to be made to fit your family dynamics and preferences.

[lg3]

Absolutely no tv's in kids bedrooms. I don't think there should be any in the adults either, frankly, but that's another topic.

[lulugirl]

Dd (7 1/2) has a television in her room. She's not a big TV watcher but she really does enjoy watching TV in bed weekend mornings when she's awake before the rest of the family.

[eliza61]

I hope youre kidding....no computers? They will go nowhere! Computers are the technology of today- my 6 yr old emails and plays online! I could not imagine raising a kid in this time without a computer....

Not no computer, just no computer in the bedroom. My kids have a bed in their bedroom. period :rotfl2:

[2girlsmom]

Both my girls have tv in their rooms, my dd(@7) has extended cable, dvd & vcr. Older dd (9) has dvd and digital cable. Regarding watching shows that you don't want them to, the cable box has parental controls, when dd(9) is grounded from her tv we just lock out all channels. dd(@7)'s tv is the Disney Princess one, and it has V-Chip technology, so I can lock it too. We typically unlock only specific channels, primarily Disney and Nick, ABCFamily, and Boomerang (on the digital tier, this shows all the cartoons from my childhood, Yogi, smurfs, etc). Mine watch for 15-30 minutes in the morning, and then usually about an hour in the evening. They turn it off and listen to music to go to sleep.:happytv:

[wilma-bride]

My teenage daughters have a TV, satellite and DVD player in their room. All 3 kids have a 'den' where they have a computer and TV/DVD player. I can honestly say that TV NEVER gets watched. DS (4) doesn't have anything other than his bed and his toy box in his room (and God forbid that the toy box should get touched once he goes to bed :rotfl: ). I figure he can have a TV in his room when I am happy he is mature enough to know what I would and wouldn't want him watching. At the moment, either myself, DH or one of the 2 girls is responsible for making sure he is not watching anything unsuitable.

[Disneyolic]

Interesting reading everyone's comments and glad this hasn't become a flame thread.

We broke down and bought a TV for our sons' room (2 share a room) after we had to move them in together getting ready for their sister to be born. My younger son was the absolutely worst kid to fall asleep since he was 3 hours old. I am not exaggerating. When we bought the TV with DVD player we always had the boys in their bedroom no later than 7:30 pm and chose a DVD to watch. We then turned the TV off at their bedtime (9 pm then) whether the movie was done or not. Almost all of the time the boys were already asleep. It really helped to settle them down. Now it is still a little ritual. They take turns choosing movies and they know that the TV goes off at 9:30 pm on school nights (10 pm vacation) no matter what!

We are happy with our decision and it works for us. Bedtime is the only time they are in there watching TV. Occasionally, they will play PlayStation in there but that is usually when they wake up in the morning.

[solgent]

We have 2 TVs in the house. One in the family room and a black and white TV, if you can believe that, that I bought in 1983 and that DH watches when he works out in the basement. He has a weight bench and free weights there. We don't have cable, only broadcast TV, so the kids do not watch any television. Just videos or DVDs. Recently they received portable DVD players from grandparents so if they do not want to watch the same thing, they can split up.

[bigbabyblues]

My kids don't have a tv in their rooms and won't be until they are 18 years old. Same with a computer.

[TSMRunnels]

Having a television in the bedroom contributes to bad sleep habits. It is best for children to learn to fall a sleep themselves and not rely on others things. Also, all research has shown that TV should not be watched at least two hours before bedtime as it usually contributes to excitability and makes it harder to calm down. It is also bad Fung Shui. Needless to say that my children don't have TV's in their room and I do have a strict limit on amount they get during the day. My daughter threw a drama fit as well about being the only one without a tv, she even said I was ruining her life. If that is as bad as she ever has it then hey she should count herself lucky.

[reginaastralis]

My daughter is only two, so luckily this isn't something I have had to deal with yet, but she won't be getting a tv in her room until she is atleast ten. This is a rule my parents had with me. I got this tiny, I believe 13" b/w tv the summer I turned ten.

However, they got really lax and bought my brother one a lot sooner, and my sister got a tv in her room when she was two. GASP!

I'm not that into tv, unless it's Grey's Anatomy, The Office, or Heroes, but I dvr those to watch after Juliette goes to bed.

I'd like to make her "earn" money to buy her own tv, though I'm not sure about the cable aspect at all yet. And, I won't let her have full access to a computer until she's A LOT older. I know how stupid I was with trying to meet boys on the computer. YES STUPID, as a teenager, and I don't need to have to beat her to teach her the lesson I learned.

To each their own. My sister is a well adjusted nine year old with amazing tests scores, who lives to read. She had a TV in her room as soon as she could say "Blues Clues" She couldn't reach the tv, but if my parents wanted some peace, they had it.

[jenrein]

Not no computer, just no computer in the bedroom. My kids have a bed in their bedroom. period :rotfl2:


OH- ok....I was a little concerned :rotfl2:

[bluesaturn]

Well I'm in college now, but I had a TV in my room since I was 4, and a VCR and evenutally a DVD player. I also had a computer in my room for all 4 years of high school, with DSL. I got straight As all through school, and I was involved in lots of after school activities. And yes the TV was always on, but because I use it as background noise. Most kids spend all their time listening to music as background noise, and I just used the TV for that (i'm not really into music). I spent very little time actually watching it.

In fact I am one of the only people I know who doesn't have "shows". There's nothing I have to watch every week. I think it is because I never felt like TV was anything special, so if I wanted to watch something I just did, never planned my life around it. Also, I was not allowed to watch anything PG-13 until I turned 13, nothing R until I was 17, etc. I wasn't allowed to watch the Simpsons, Married with Children, Roseanne, etc. I never really broke those rules cause I knew my mom would catch me if I did. We also weren't allowed to have locked doors in our house (unless we were changing etc.) so I knew my parents could check on me at any time.

On the other hand my sister usually doesn't have a TV or computer in her room. She doesn't behave as well or get as good grades, so she just can't handle it. That works fine for her. For me, the threat of having my TV removed was enough to make me behave. I think, not only to each family their own, but to each kid her own.

Edit: I also wasn't allowed to watch TV to fall asleep. My mom will still come in and turn it off if I fall asleep with it on now days.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Having a television in the bedroom contributes to bad sleep habits. It is best for children to learn to fall a sleep themselves and not rely on others things. Also, all research has shown that TV should not be watched at least two hours before bedtime as it usually contributes to excitability and makes it harder to calm down. It is also bad Fung Shui.


I wonder if that research applies to adults too? Maybe that is DH's problem...too much tv too close to bedtime. :rotfl:

[MomNeedsVacay]

my 3.y.o. has a t.v. in her room, but it doesn't have cable, so she can only watch tapes in her room. She is not allowed to have the T.V. on at bedtime or while she falls asleep. She doesn't nap anymore, so I make her have a "downtime" in her room for 30 minutes after pre-school...sometimes "downtime" is quietly reading books, other times, its a 30 minute video while she lays in bed. The only other time I allow her to watch tapes in her room is if she is sick, she may lay in bed and watch videos.
:sick:

[kribit]

We have 1 tv in our house and we barely watch it. So, the answer is no our kids do not have tv's nor will they ever. :)

[disney_fan_fam]

Nope, no TV in their rooms, heck I don't allow it in MY own bedroom....

[MiniGirl]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Wow!!! I never expected so many, but I do appreciate it. I'm also glad to hear that we aren't the only family that doesn't allow their kids to have tvs in their bedrooms. Like I said in my original post, I'm not necessarily against it in general, but I just know it would be too much for my girls.

I also appreciate how the thread also morphed into computer usage. We are actually on the 'puter more than we're watching tv. We have 3 in our house -- our main one is in the home office, an older one with internet access is in the family room, and we have a laptop that dh will often bring to work with him. (He is an airline pilot, so he is often gone.) However, even if we do eventually allow a tv in the girls' room, we will never allow a 'puter with access in there. I love the internet and the hardest part of giving up cable would be my cable modem -- not the television programs, but they will not be enjoying it w/o us monitoring it for a long, long time.

[lee]

My children did have tvs in their rooms, but I took them out because it seemed all they did was watch tv. Now, we watch as a family and it's usually the Discovery channel or something we all enjoy and can talk about. Overall, they are now more responsive and interact with us more. No regrets here. As a treat, we may let them take a small tv in their room on a weekend night to have a "slumber party" and movie night together, but we're still having too much fun together. :thumbsup2

[ilovefh]

Funny I found this thread! We just had this conversation at work! I never had one growing up for a few reasons.

#1 So my parents could monitor what I watched!
#2 So I would go to bed at a normal time (I work at a middle school and I'm amazed at the number of kids who tell me they were up late watching tv! When I ask what their parents think many of them say it is after their parents go to bed)
#3 So we would spend more time together as a family.

My kids will also not have tvs in their rooms.

[Beth E. (NJ)]

My older dd has a tv in her room. It's been there a while. The room was a den before we had kids and when she was born the tv went in the 3rd bedroom. When we had our 2nd child we put the tv in the basement for a while. Finally we stuck it in the older dd's room because there was a cable hookup there. She can only use it certain times -- and she knows and complies with the rule. For example, she cannot use it after bedtime or during homework. Also, if she is on restriction for punishment and she loses tv she cannot turn the tv in her room on. She really uses it on weekend mornings and sometimes during the week if she wakes up early.

[meandtheguys2]

No TV in the bedrooms. There isn't any positive purpose to it in our home. They do have books and music in there, if they need time away from the crowd, or wake up and need a bit of a distraction!

[WildGrits]

Instead of my girls having a TV in their room, they share a bedroom so that they can have a playroom with tv and game consoles.

My mom falls asleep to the tv. I hate that.

[MSSANDRA]

Ds got one at 13. I really wanted to be sure he had some self control and was at the age we did not really need to monitor what he watched so closely. It has not been an issue at all. He is now almost 15 and watches some TV in there but also watches some with us. We also have a large bonus room so he has that for his PSlll. We also have 4 TV's with cable but honestly we do not watch that much. We choose not to allow a computer in DS's room. It is in our office room. DS also sets his own bedtime and rarely does he not have light out by 10:00 on school nights. I absolutly did not aloow one when he was little. In fact had to tell MIL NO when she bought him one.

[LilBlackSheep]

We have 1 tv in the house...and it's in the family room.

[hsmamato2]

My 3 kids don't have tv's and probably won't ever. That is because we already have 4 others in the house. The major reason I won't let them is because they have all become avid nighttime readers. I am convinced it is because the tv is not there.

We make them get ready for bed between 7:30 and 8 and they usually will go read in their beds for an hour to an hour and a half. I don't have any other friends whose kids read like that.

Agreed! I have plenty of friends with kids who don't read much,except when they haveto....in our house,when we go to bed and wind down,we read!
We have 2 tv's elsewhere,but I find tv a diversion,not a relaxant-from the time the kids were toddlers, they could read all night in their beds, but no tv-
It's amazing how much reading an electronics obsessed teen gets in with this system!;) We all always have a book on our night table-
Tv can be great- but it can also bring too many problems....so we exercise alot of moderation,if ds had one in his room,he would watch endlessly!

[Momof2princess]

My older DD (7) does have a TV in her room, while my younger DD (4) does not. They also have a TV in their playroom. I have no problem with this at all, it is not allowed on bedtime...no discussion, in fact I do not think that she ever has asked for it to be on at bedtime.

[brandylouwho]

We recently put a TV in our 3 year olds room to try to entice her to stay in her own bed & own room at night on her own (and I felt like a really bad parent for doing it). Guess what...she hardly watches it! I think Her dad and I use it more when we are in there with her than she does. (For example, last night she really didn't want to go to bed, but it was late, so I sat on her bed with her and watched a TV show while she laid down/got settled in. It took maybe 15 minutes for her to fall asleep, but I was able to continue watching my show).

If she is playing in her room during the day she usually doesn't even turn it on, but it is nice for those times when it is cold outside or night time and she really wants to watch a cartoon-but I really don't. Then we allow her to watch a kid appropriate show on her own TV.

Occassionally she will watch a few minutes to a half hour of TV before she is ready to fall asleep, but just as often she will ask us to read books instead. Now I don't feel like such a bad parent anymore...I feel like I am giving her opportunity and choices (hello-the real world has TVs in it) and I am proud when she (on her own) chooses to play with toys or to read instead of watching the old tube.

[Hope73]

I am totally against it. My kids are 6&8. Our boy 8 has asked for one. WE have two tv's on our main level and feel that is enough. I like that he is on the level wiht us if he is watching a show.

We have video games as well and he is only allowed to play on sat and sun, but not all day long.

[canouangirl]

my boys (4 and 2) dont have and never will have TV in their rooms until college age.

We have a playroom with a TV, which they never use, they like to watch the TV in our sitting room between breakfast and time for kindy and then again between 5-6, .... Disney channel only unless theres a movie like Cars or Bugs life on a movie channel

I dont like computer games at all so no Xbox or PS in their future, (they'll probably hate me !) but where we live theres SO much to do, its great weather all year round and I dont want them loafing infront a computer screen.

what they will get when they're 5 is the V-tech laptop which has preprogrammed learning programmes and cant do internet or games etc...

its important that they learn about how to use computers but I dont want them doing the xbox type games.

they are both very active, they swim and play every day and have a great imagination play with each other and their toys, I'd hate them to grow up and be one of those kids glued to an xbox in the dark in their room or watching TV until they grow to 300lbs.

[designermv]

No TV in my daughter's room, and it will stay that way. She watches DVDs in the family room.

[emh1129]

We don't allow TVs in their bedroom- that's something that DH and I both feel strongly about, so it's never going to happen.

[bentleygirl22]

Both my kids James 6 and Alexis 4 Have had tv's in their room since birth..
James has one of those Disney Mickey tv with matching dvd player he has basic cable and gamecube hook to it and my little girl Alexis has one of those pink Disney Princess tvs with matching dvd player w/ basic cable .

I don't mind at all if they are in their room watching the disney or nick channel on their tvs or a disney/nick dvd in their room..

But we are also really busy with sports also
James plays Football teeball/baseball & Soccer
&
Alexis Is in Cheerleading and plays teeball/baseball
http://a20.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/17/l_13e6c3b82eda5b56a28e44e2770b92eb.jpg

So my kids are outside alot doing sports ... so if they want time in their room to rest and watch tv i'm ok with it ...
besides ... I had a tv w/ cable in my room growing up so i don't see the problem

All I can say is You are your childs mom Or Dad You know what is best for your own child ... :thumbsup2

~Manders

[PaulaSue]

My girls do in thier room, shared.

[Tammysue5]

Our kids DS 16 and DD 8, DD5 have TVs in their rooms. (No computer as that is in a centralized location) We have never had any issues with the TVs in the rooms. The kids have school and then either dance or tumbling for the girls or Drums/tennis/youth group for the DS. If given the choice everyone of them will go outside vs. Watching tv. We do pretty much everything as a family... play basketball in the driveway, church activities, swim in the pool.
All our kids do very well in school and are big book readers. We still do a lot of family movies, but sometimes when we do settle down we want to watch different things. Everyone has their space. I think that it is important for each family to decide what it is that works for them. Parents need to look at their children and make the best choice for them. I appreciate reading all the different aspects. Thanks for sharing!

[cara loves the poly]

yup, both of my kids have tv's and dvd's. I did growing up too. It's a balance, and it's not o.k. for all kids! Just use your noggins parents! P.S. - Im a college graduate, stay at home mom with two healthy happy kids and a happy husband! T.V. didn't ruin me growing up and I'm sure it won't ruin my kids! LOL!

[F4disneyfan]

in their bedrooms?

After reading the bedtime thread, I wanted to ask this. I didn't want to hijack that thread, so I'm starting a new one.

I've noticed many of you have said that your kids are in bed by X:XX but they will watch tv and fall asleep around X:XX. My oldest (7) has been asking for a tv to be placed in her room for awhile. She tells me, with all the drama she can muster (and believe me, that's a lot), that she is the ONLY one in her class without her own tv. Truthfully, I tend to believe her. I know all of her friend's homes that I have been to the kids do have tvs in their rooms. My best friend has 4 tvs in her 1500 square foot, 3 bedroom house. Our house is over twice that size, and we have 3 -- family room, master bedroom, and guest room.

Please understand. I'm not flaming. While my friend has tvs in each bedroom and family room, her kids love playing outside and they really don't watch them that much. However, I struggle with my kids watching so much tv. My girls get hot very easily, and hate to play outside. Also, if I can't engage my girls, they will tend to sit in front of the tv or at the computer. Not always, but enough that I'm reluctant to add a tv to their room. And while, I'd love to sit and play with my girls, I just can't. Laundry needs to be done. Dishes, too, etc, etc.

So, all this just to ask if your kids have tvs in their rooms. Am I being unreasonable or mean because I won't do it?


Well our 1000 SQFT house has a 56"HD DLP tv in the living room a 27"HD LCD hanging on our bedroom wall a 27"HDtv in the kids play room and a 20"HD LCD in the girls room all our TV's are HD and all have HD sattelite recievers for them. The tv in the girls room is also the tv that goes in the trailer when they go camping along with the reciever and the extra dish on the tripod. The girls also have their laptop in their room with wireless connectivity to our router on the PC up front for internet access.

[graygables]

I grew up without TV, essentially. We lived on an Army base in Germany before the days of AFN, and no way my parents were letting us watch German TV! :rolleyes1 :happytv:

I swore my kids would never have TVs in their rooms. Wellllll, 11 and 8yo each have a TV connected only to their DVD/VCR players. 11yo never watches hers, she always goes into 8yo's room for "movie parties". They have limited choices to start with and I'm OK with that. Last night, they had a Veggie Tales "marathon" and had a great time. We are not strict bedtime people as we home/unschool and my schedule is always wonky anyway, so that probably plays into it. They will NOT have satellite in their rooms, however, their TVs are only for video watching (and they are in the basement so no broadcast reception, either) Their computers are both upstairs in the main areas. Also, they only watch movies in the evening, after they've washed up for bed. 8yo cannot fall asleep without either a movie on or a body next to her, sometimes both, so we do what we have to do.

[DawnM]

We have 3 TVs hooked up to Directv....den, basement rec room and living room.

We have a 4th in the master but it isn't hooked up to Directv, it is mostly just used for watching videos.

I do not ever plan to put a TV in the boys' rooms.

Dawn

[DawnM]

I grew up without TV too. I grew up in an African country and our area didn't even get reception, but even in the capital, TV came one at 6pm and went until midnight. Then there was no broadcast.

I remember coming to visit the US and witnessing TV broadcasts ending at midnight here too.....is anyone old enough to remember that???? And there were THREE channels, total!

Wow, I am dating myself aren't I?

Dawn


I grew up without TV, essentially. We lived on an Army base in Germany before the days of AFN, and no way my parents were letting us watch German TV! :rolleyes1 :happytv:

I swore my kids would never have TVs in their rooms. Wellllll, 11 and 8yo each have a TV connected only to their DVD/VCR players. 11yo never watches hers, she always goes into 8yo's room for "movie parties". They have limited choices to start with and I'm OK with that. Last night, they had a Veggie Tales "marathon" and had a great time. We are not strict bedtime people as we home/unschool and my schedule is always wonky anyway, so that probably plays into it. They will NOT have satellite in their rooms, however, their TVs are only for video watching (and they are in the basement so no broadcast reception, either) Their computers are both upstairs in the main areas. Also, they only watch movies in the evening, after they've washed up for bed. 8yo cannot fall asleep without either a movie on or a body next to her, sometimes both, so we do what we have to do.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I remember coming to visit the US and witnessing TV broadcasts ending at midnight here too.....is anyone old enough to remember that???? And there were THREE channels, total!

Wow, I am dating myself aren't I?

Dawn

I don't remember quite that far back, but up until I was almost graduating high school, there was only channels 2-13. Now I feel old too! LOL! :rotfl:

[NCTWINSMOM]

My girls have a tv, they are really good with it. We only allow it at certain times.

They are very active (love to go outside, soccer, etc).

[MissMichelle]

2 kids...11 and 7. They both have TV's in their rooms with Directv. The sets are locked from certain programming and they have time limits. Usually my youngest will watch tv early morning before I get up and 30-60 minutes in the evening. They are big on Animal Planet and the 11 year old will watch shows like Thats So Raven and High School Musical. If homework isn't done to my liking or the aren't doing chores they aren't allowed tv that day (or possibly that week). They know it is a privilege and they have had them taken out of their rooms before, they also know what is expected of them and they don't feel the need to sit in front of the tv all day. TV never has been a big deal in my house.
I also want to add my son is a HUGE reader. When you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he replies "A TEACHER!". He loves to research and learn. I guess it would also depend on the child..If I noticed they felt the need to watch TV more then I would take them out to control that.

[sara74]

Replying without reading anything other than the original question...as I see a 7 page thread and think hmm..heated debate, maybe?

Anyway...nope, the kids don't have 'em, and I don't plan on them having them. I won't say never as every time I use that word it comes back to bite me, but I don't see a future with my kids having personal TVs.

[graygables]

I grew up without TV too. I grew up in an African country and our area didn't even get reception, but even in the capital, TV came one at 6pm and went until midnight. Then there was no broadcast.

I remember coming to visit the US and witnessing TV broadcasts ending at midnight here too.....is anyone old enough to remember that???? And there were THREE channels, total!

Wow, I am dating myself aren't I?

Dawn

"It's 10 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" :lmao: AND...we had to turn a KNOB to change the channel!

[eh24fan]

My almost 7 year old ds has a TV in his room along with a DVD player and his Gamecube. We have one in our bedroom and then the big screen in the living room, where the DVR, digital cable and XBox360 are hooked up. My son has had his since he was 4 and to be honest, he doesn't watch it that often. He plays his games and this weekend he has used it the most for actually TV viewing than ever. LOL He watched a DVD last night and Daddy Daycare on tv Friday night. He's so busy with karate, baseball, football, swimming lessons (all dependant on the season of course, except for karate, that's year round) and school that he really doesn't have time to watch much TV or play video games except on the weekends. I readily admit that I HATE the gamecube sometimes, but when he gets up at 545am on a weekend day when the baby sleeps until 7 for me, I'll tell him to go ahead and play for a bit until Mom is fully awake. LOL

[eh24fan]

We have the satellite hooked up in the living room, our room & den and the xbox 360 stays in the living room with the ginormous HD tv my husband HAD to have (which I admit I love too, the tv mind you not necessarily the xbox but I guess that is pretty cool too with the new graphics they have). .\



This is funny because that sounds JUST like our house. I had no interest in the giant TV or the X-Box. The big kid tried to say he wanted it b/c he and the little kid could play together. :rolleyes:

[DawnM]

Yup! Fully aware of where they are.

We have moved downstairs for the summer! Our upstairs a/c died and we just don't want to pay the 6K to fix it right now. Gotta pay off our last debt (car) first and get the cash!

Yes, and do you remember black and white TV????

Dawn

"It's 10 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" :lmao: AND...we had to turn a KNOB to change the channel!

[DawnM]

Yes, and can you imagine that you actually had to sit in front of it at the right time to watch a show? No Tivo and VCRs, when they did come out, were very difficult to figure out.

Dawn

I don't remember quite that far back, but up until I was almost graduating high school, there was only channels 2-13. Now I feel old too! LOL! :rotfl:

[tmbrea]

Ok, my kids (now 18 and 20) had tv's in their rooms from there tweens. Used for video games and vcr/dvd only. We have Directv in the living room and master bedroom only. We've never had to lock out station this way and I feel it encourages family interaction. But gives them the option to retire to their room if they fell a need. The most important thing is to stay active in their lives.

[BellePrincessBelle]

Yup all my kids have a TV, VCR & DVD player. They almost never put them on though. They are not hooked up to the dish either. TV isn't a big deal for my kids. I know kids who space out when they watch TV and you can not get a response from them but mine couold really care less about watching TV. I think it has alot to do with the fact that we never restricted it so it isn't a treat.

[barbmouse]

My dd is 13 and does not have a TV in her room. She does have a portable DVD to watch movies on. DS 10 has TV not hooked up for channels and uses it to play video games or movies. My dks are also avide readers. My dd prefers to read over watching TV.

[emdav]

No tvs in my kids room. I doubt they ever will have them either. We don't have cable and my kids rarely watch tv but they do watch DVDs. I let each watch one a day, usually around 45 minutes.

[sskem96]

My girls have the Disney Princess TV and DVD player in their room. They mostly just watch Disney Channel. Sometimes if they have a friend over, they rent a movie and watch it in there. Their bedroom is right off of the living room, so if me or DH wants to watch something other than Disney, they go to their room to watch. Otherwise, the LR TV is pretty much always on Disney or Nick anyway.

We have a little TV in the kitchen so DH can watch sports while he does the dishes, and we have one in our room, but we only watch in when we're in bed, we just never go in our room during the day. We are the kind of people who pretty much always have the TV on if we're home. (Just the one in the LR). We just both grew up that way, and the house is too quiet without it.

[2girlsmom]

Yes, and can you imagine that you actually had to sit in front of it at the right time to watch a show? No Tivo and VCRs, when they did come out, were very difficult to figure out.

Dawn
How about when you had to go up (or send someone up) to turn the channel? I remember that we didn't have a remote control until I was maybe 10, and then it was line of sight and really picky, so you usually ended up standing right next to the screen to change the channel anyway! LOL :lmao:

Of course, then all the parents said "get back from the screen, you're going to hurt your eyes" which probably really meant, "I can't get the remote to work, you are blocking the signal".....:rotfl:

[agentpleakley]

Our kids both have tvs and DVD players in their rooms. That said, they rarely, if ever, get turned on. Our family is not big on tv shows -- we will pop a movie in and watch it together -- last night was Lilo & Stitch - but we rarely watch tv series.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Mine do, but didn't until age 14. Our 2 boys (21, 17) and 2 girls (19, 15) both shared large rooms together until the two older ones moved out. The girls rarely used theirs and the boys mostly used it for PS and Wii games, oh, and ESPN (da da da...DADADA)

I don't think it caused any more permanent brain damage than the school system. :rolleyes1

[LSUmom4kids]

When our 19DS was 8 he had saved his birthday & xmas money and we talked DH into letting him buy a small tv for his room - he never had cable though. Bad move. He stayed in his room a lot and then had video games and it was very hard to get him "unaddicted". Punishments included taking the tv away. (DS also got a cell phone at age 14; again we talked DH into "letting him". ALSO bad move; he abused the shared telephone family minutes and we made him pay the overage charges many times. We won't be doing that again with the rest of the kids!)

Now there are 3 younger kids (he's 8 yrs. older than the next sibling), and our policy is NO tvs in their bedroom. All the rooms are wired for cable, but the boys only have a small 5" tv to play gamecube (no antenna to watch tv).

The digital cable box in the living room has parental controls and they can only watch certain channels. The digital cable box for my bedroom tv has all channels locked so that my tv is off limits for the kids.

We all share the living room tv; taking turns watching shows. It's too easy for the kids to become "couch potatoes" these days and we'd rather involve the kids with sports activities.

Just my 2 cents...

[sajilunni]

repeat

[sajilunni]

The problem with TV is similar to the one most Americans have with food, namely they just don't realize how much they're consuming. I've noticed that many, many parents who admit to giving their children TV's cushion it with "but they hardly ever watch it." Then why give it to them? It may seem like just a show here and a movie there, but it ends up being hours and hours of being passively entertained by a screen.

My main concern with TV is that it seems to be influencing our children into a "consumer culture". Children who watch TV know exactly what gifts they want because they have been bombarded with the images of happiness and joy they'll have for themselves if they purchase that particular product. They start to believe the hype. Even PBS brands out all of it's characters. Not only do my kids not have TVs in their rooms, they don't watch TV regularly at all (I would estimate 2 hours every 2-3 weeks in movies). They don't know any of the toys that are available unless we actually go to a toy store. I prefer their ignorance to the sense of entitlement that I see in many children today.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV WHATSOEVER for children under the age of 2. But products like "Baby Einstein" still sell millions of copies. Why? I believe it is because parents want to get their kids used to the idea of being passively entertained, because it is a far easier task to press a button than interact with a child. Recently there has a firm link found between television watching and ADD. The scariest idea is that the fast editing of TV actually REWIRES their young brains. If you think about it, during our evolution we have never had to process images with the rapidity that TV requires.

TV can definitely turn into a psychological addiction. I worry about any addictions at all because the less adaptable you are, the worse you will react to any new situation. My brother in law just can't go to sleep without the TV on. When he stays at our house, he would rather sleep in the family room couch instead of in the TV-less guest bedroom. Both my son and daughter learned how to read books when they were 3 years old. A big motivation for them to figure it out was probably boredom. But their determination to meet the challenge as well as their love of books has lead to them doing well in all academic areas, and even skipping grades in school. And I truly believe that the lack of TV watching really had something to do with it.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

The problem with TV is similar to the one most Americans have with food, namely they just don't realize how much they're consuming. I've noticed that many, many parents who admit to giving their children TV's cushion it with "but they hardly ever watch it." Then why give it to them? It may seem like just a show here and a movie there, but it ends up being hours and hours of being passively entertained by a screen.

I kind of view the tv like a credit card...not necessary, but nice to have when or if you want to use it.

I'm glad that your views on television have worked in a positive manner for your kids. I think its wonderful that your kids have turned to reading instead. :) I don't condemn anyone for their beliefs or try and push mine on them-even if I happen not to agree. Live and let live. Life is too short to argue.

[pamom65]

We have four kids (DD's 15 and 12; DS's 8 and 7). Although they used to ask, we never allowed them to have TV's in their rooms. With 3 TV's already in the house, I figured we had enough. I would rather see them in the family room watching movies or shows together. I have recently decided that my DD is going to get a small TV for her 16th birthday. Why the change of heart? I feel she is mature enough now that I don't have to monitor what she is watching and that she should be able to have some time alone to watch a show if she choses, without her sister and brothers bugging her to change the channel. Also, as someone else posted, she will most likely want a small TV to take when she goes to college in a few years, so it will be one less thing to buy then.

I seriously think the internet and the stuff kids can access (even inadverdently) is a far bigger problem than most of the shows on TV.

[BellePrincessBelle]

The problem with TV is similar to the one most Americans have with food, namely they just don't realize how much they're consuming. I've noticed that many, many parents who admit to giving their children TV's cushion it with "but they hardly ever watch it." Then why give it to them? It may seem like just a show here and a movie there, but it ends up being hours and hours of being passively entertained by a screen.


I can honestly say while all my kids have TV's in there rooms they haven't been turned on in at least the last 3 months. All of my kids would rather read than watch TV but we give them the option of watching it if they choose. All of my kids have scored well above average on all testing and are well above grade level in all of their schooling. You have to give them a choice but also teach them what the right choice is.

[4eyedbuzzard]

My main concern with TV is that it seems to be influencing our children into a "consumer culture".
As opposed to their parents, who are what?

They start to believe the hype.
Again, so do their parents. Including the psychological hype.

Even PBS brands out all of it's characters. Not only do my kids not have TVs in their rooms, they don't watch TV regularly at all (I would estimate 2 hours every 2-3 weeks in movies). They don't know any of the toys that are available unless we actually go to a toy store. I prefer their ignorance to the sense of entitlement that I see in many children today.
I would submit that awareness does not necessarily breed entitlement if children understand that everything has a cost in terms of the time one exchanges to possess certain goods or services - not that i'd express it that way to a child. From a very early age we made our children aware that everything has a price, and that they(or Mom and Dad) must trade their most precious resource, their time, to have it. They learned as early as possible about reality/fantasy, material wealth/things (both good and bad), etc. As a result, when Grandma(raised without TV) last came to visit and suggested "going to the mall", our girls asked, "Why, what do we need to buy?" All this while watching their fair share of TV.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV WHATSOEVER for children under the age of 2.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended all sorts of things over the years. Not all have been good. Generally, I am very suspect of absolutes - they tend to be poorly thought out.

Recently there has a firm link found between television watching and ADD.
Actually, it's more a statistical relationship. And their is also a similar negative relationship for lack of cognitive stimulation, emotional support, etc. And guess what? Children with a stay at home parent have less problems as well. Children with two parents have less problems than single parent families. TV is just one of many factors - and it's an easy target.

The scariest idea is that the fast editing of TV actually REWIRES their young brains. If you think about it, during our evolution we have never had to process images with the rapidity that TV requires.
Well, that isn't by any means medically proven or even well studied enough to cite as scientific fact. And, we are still "evolving" - somewhat. Perhaps learning to process images rapidly may be a beneficial adaptation in a world with increasing technology. The truth is that we really just don't know, which scares people into grasping at all sorts of explanations.

TV can definitely turn into a psychological addiction. I worry about any addictions at all because the less adaptable you are, the worse you will react to any new situation. My brother in law just can't go to sleep without the TV on. When he stays at our house, he would rather sleep in the family room couch instead of in the TV-less guest bedroom. Both my son and daughter learned how to read books when they were 3 years old. A big motivation for them to figure it out was probably boredom. But their determination to meet the challenge as well as their love of books has lead to them doing well in all academic areas, and even skipping grades in school. And I truly believe that the lack of TV watching really had something to do with it.

I have this feeling that your children would have done well with or without TV, as you seem to be a caring parent, and you were blessed with good kids. I think that a lot of the "perils of the day", such as TV and video game use by children, are highly over-rated sare tactics. I have known kids with great parents who did all the "right things" and the kids turned into horrible adults. Conversely I know kids who had all the worst and succeeded wonderfully.

Regardless of our lineage, we are all born with unique traits, we add a little nurture to the nature, some have good luck, some have bad, and we get a wide range of results. Such is life. There are endless possibilities, and our ability to control developmental outcomes simply isn't as good as we think it should be. I'm not suggesting we don't try, but I don't think TV and video games are the prime culprit - just a piece of a much larger puzzle.

[cara loves the poly]

As opposed to their parents, who are what?


Again, so do their parents. Including the psychological hype.


I would submit that awareness does not necessarily breed entitlement if children understand that everything has a cost in terms of the time one exchanges to possess certain goods or services - not that i'd express it that way to a child. From a very early age we made our children aware that everything has a price, and that they(or Mom and Dad) must trade their most precious resource, their time, to have it. They learned as early as possible about reality/fantasy, material wealth/things (both good and bad), etc. As a result, when Grandma(raised without TV) last came to visit and suggested "going to the mall", our girls asked, "Why, what do we need to buy?" All this while watching their fair share of TV.


The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended all sorts of things over the years. Not all have been good. Generally, I am very suspect of absolutes - they tend to be poorly thought out.


Actually, it's more a statistical relationship. And their is also a similar negative relationship for lack of cognitive stimulation, emotional support, etc. And guess what? Children with a stay at home parent have less problems as well. Children with two parents have less problems than single parent families. TV is just one of many factors - and it's an easy target.


Well, that isn't by any means medically proven or even well studied enough to cite as scientific fact. And, we are still "evolving" - somewhat. Perhaps learning to process images rapidly may be a beneficial adaptation in a world with increasing technology. The truth is that we really just don't know, which scares people into grasping at all sorts of explanations.



I have this feeling that your children would have done well with or without TV, as you seem to be a caring parent, and you were blessed with good kids. I think that a lot of the "perils of the day", such as TV and video game use by children, are highly over-rated sare tactics. I have known kids with great parents who did all the "right things" and the kids turned into horrible adults. Conversely I know kids who had all the worst and succeeded wonderfully.

Regardless of our lineage, we are all born with unique traits, we add a little nurture to the nature, some have good luck, some have bad, and we get a wide range of results. Such is life. There are endless possibilities, and our ability to control developmental outcomes simply isn't as good as we think it should be. I'm not suggesting we don't try, but I don't think TV and video games are the prime culprit - just a piece of a much larger puzzle.

WOW!! You took all of my thoughts and worded them masterfully!!! Good post!

[FoundMyPrince]

Our children (1, 5 and 7) do not have tvs in their rooms, and they won't as long as they with us. We had one in our bedroom until we moved and decided we didn't need one either. So, just the one tele in the family room!:happytv:

[Mamatoaprincess]

My dd6 has asked for a tv in her room, but the answer has always been no. If we watch tv, it is in the family room as a family. This is what works for us. I agree with a PP that each family has to decide what is best for them and not judge others based their values.

[badblackpug]

No and it will remain "no." The American Association of Pediatrics has recommended that children not have televiosions or computers in their bedrooms. I have friends who let their kids "watch TV until they fall asleep" and they are not able to fall asleep any other way, and will not sleep in a room with the light out. We have 2 televisions a large one in the family room, that the video game controller hooked to it (and parental controls) and one in our bedroom. Same goes for computers.

[TheDizMom]

When my son was 6 my ILs got him a tv for Christmas because they had inadvertantly given him something too soon and they needed another gift. My DH gave them permission, and I was not happy about it. I didn't think he needed a tv. I was really surprised that after about a month he never ever watched it unless he was sick in bed. It got moved into my DD's room whenever she was sick in bed and that's all it got used for, except the occasional time my DS wanted to watch a DVD(there was a player as part of the tv) alone in his room without his sister to bug him. We have since moved and there isn't a cable outlet in his room so my problem was solved! It never became an issue for us because he hates spending time in his room, and would much rather be wherever my DH or I are. I still am against it until they are at least teenagers if not high school. Neither child has cable capabilities in their rooms this time as we are in an older house and I have no intention of changing that any time soon.

[cinjam]

I think the fact that it's readily available just makes it not that big a deal to them.:confused3

I totally agreee with this. DS6 has a tv in his room w/a dvd & basic cable. We do not have a tv in the master bath (although I would love one); we do have them in the family room, rec room, kitchen (love that one) and our bedroom.

DS6 watches the one in his room occasionally and generally isn't a tv watcher at all. If we settle down to watch something he'll join us. But he'd rather be outside playing than lounging around being a couch potato (that position is already claimed by DH!).

DS6 got the tv because he had several of the plug & play games & some can't (or shouldn't) be used on LCD tvs. We got him a regular flat screen (not flat panel).

DS3 barely watches tv! There was a time I would have loved to set him up with a Baby Einstien or Elmo video so I could just get a breather, but he just didn't care...still doesn't!

Everyone needs to do whatever works best for their family

[trvlnut]

My kids don't have a tv. My 8 year-old has asked for one a couple of times because her friend across the street has one in her room. I told her no and that was the end of it.

My dad gave me a t.v. when I was 12 and I rarely watched it. I don't think it's a big deal, but I don't think I'll put one in my children's room until they are older. Even then, they may not want one.

[mamaprincess]

Not only do my kids have tvs in their rooms but they also have dvc players and there own dvrs.:rolleyes: I couldn't talk hubby out of it. We have tvs everywhere. The only thing he did for me is agree to hide them behind cabinets and armoires so I wouldn't have to look at tvs everywhere.:headache: Our house would look like Bestbuy if it were up to him.

I will "cushion" this by saying that my kids don't watch much tv. They have to much homework when they get home and we are to busy during the weekends. They would also rather be out riding their bikes. My 3 year old likes her Disney movie collection and watches a little tv but never uses it to go to sleep. TV is more an obsession of DH and even he watches very little. He just likes electronics of every kind around him. He's an engineer.:confused3 :laughing:

[Tooblessed]

My kids don't have a tv in their rooms, in face DH and I don't either. We used to and then decided to take it out and now we read more or even just chit chat before bed. So we are officially a 1 tv family.
Now my kids have friends that have tvs but it has never really impressed them.

[2girlsmom]

Not only do my kids have tvs in their rooms but they also have dvc players and there own dvrs.:rolleyes: I couldn't talk hubby out of it. We have tvs everywhere. The only thing he did for me is agree to hide them behind cabinets and armoires so I wouldn't have to look at tvs everywhere.:headache: Our house would look like Bestbuy if it were up to him.

I will "cushion" this by saying that my kids don't watch much tv. They have to much homework when they get home and we are to busy during the weekends. They would also rather be out riding their bikes. My 3 year old likes her Disney movie collection and watches a little tv but never uses it to go to sleep. TV is more an obsession of DH and even he watches very little. He just likes electronics of every kind around him. He's an engineer.:confused3 :laughing:
Yep, now that sounds like my dh, too. I swear he would buy some new electronic every month if I would let him. We have the big screen in the family room, plus tv's in all 3 bedrooms, and he keeps talking about getting another tv! I ask him why, since the 2 yr old tv in our bedroom only gets turned on maybe once a week ( so I can watch CSI Miami at 10:30pm), but I think he just likes to be surrounded by electronics. :rolleyes:

[Mickey'sfriend]

No way!! No TV's, no computers!!!

[sm4987]

My kids don't have tvs in their room either and they are 8 and 11. I have 4 other tv's in the house including one in the media room and I see no need for the kids to have a tv in their rooms! NO computers either!!!

[Disneyracingfan]

My DD (5) has a tv/vcr/dvd/DVR HD and a computer with internet in her room. I grew up with a B/W TV and a computer in my room. It started out with the C-64 and went on from there. I was on BBS before there was an "internet" I was programing in basic by the time I was in 5th grade and went to college for computer science (most of the classes I took I could have taught). I was in the national honor society in HS. I also read like there is no tomorrow (upsets DW that I read a book in a night) I have always been very active as my DD is now. I played hockey, lacrosse, Bow hunt and have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I turned out ok. I still sleep with the tv or music on (my ears ring and the silence keeps me up.) There is way too much information at your fingertips. My DD is exactly like me an information sponge she absorbs everything she can. :surfweb: By no means does she get glued in front of the TV, so I let her monitor her tv time, usually she gets bored with it and would rather surf the web for stuff about farming or hunting (god bless her), or go ride her quad or just walk in the fields. She loves doing both, nothing cuter than a 5 year old girl asking to drive a Deere or go hunting for a deer. I'm sure she'll turn out a warped as I. But to each his/her own. well thats my 2 cents. sorry I rambled a bit.

[wendithepooh]

DD10 came home from getting DD6 at her friends house the other day and said boy that girl is spoiled.She has her own T.V in her room.That little girl is spoiled but not because of the t.v.I told DD10 that maybe it is her parents way of getting rid of her and her tantrums/:confused3 Just a guess.

You have to be careful about letting opposite sex kids watching t.v. alone especially in their rooms.My parents never inforced the door always has to be open rule with me.Maybe they should have.But i really was a good kid.Nothing happened too bad,but it probably could have.

There is also no computer attached to the internet in anyone's room either.

http://http://www.disboards.com/z/user/9/7/1/1/2/1/main.1169436127.jpg

[cancer_survivor_06]

We currently have 4 TV's in our house one in the living room, master bedroom and in each of the girls rooms. DD6 has the cinderella tv and dd3 has the princess tv. DD6 has the princess dvd player and dd3 has the princess vcr/dvd player. We have satelite in their rooms but the tvs currently aren't hooked up to it not that it would matter b/c dd6 only want to watch the disney channel any way and dd3 can't change the channel so she only gets to watch/listen to sprout and disney. For along time I did put the tv on for dd's and I usually still do at least for dd3 more times than none though I have been playing cd's for them at night.