We Cut the Cord

iStock_Lookingthetvathome_9.10.19

iStock Photo: Photo by Milan Markovic

We cut the cord…to cable.

Summer is a notoriously busy time for my family. Our schedule left virtually no time for sitting around watching television so, rather than pay for something we weren’t going to use, we eliminated it. And it was glorious!

What started as somewhat of an experiment turned into a pleasant realization that we didn’t need television, at least for the summer. Sometimes it was background noise, sometimes it was a time filler, most of the time it was just an excuse to be lazy.

Initially, there was a lot of resistance, but then something wonderful happened. The kids started spending more time playing outside, we spent more time doing family activities and we reintroduced family game night. They read more, played more and binged on summertime fun. It was the closest thing to my generation childhood as I could manage for my kids.

We weren’t completely TV/electronics free; we still had movie nights and the girls enjoyed an occasional show on the iPad but, for the most part, it was a wonderful break. We were pleasantly surprised at some of the benefits we didn’t anticipate. We were hoping to save a little money, but the family bonding that resulted was priceless.

Will we be TV free forever? Heck no … it’s football season! But it certainly was a nice break for the summer and a fantastic reminder there is much to gain when we turn it off and connect.



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