No Television

Bryan and I made the decision about two weeks ago to get ride of our DishNetwork. We loved the convience of it taking our shows that we enjoyed watching, but at the expence of the behavior of our son it was getting to be to much.

Bug is a smart kid. Sometimes to smart for his own good. It didn't take him long to figure out how the remote control worked so that he could watch his shows we had recorded. Shows such as Blues Clues, Sesame Street, Little Einsteins, etc. This was OK, at first. I was proud of his ability to figure this out, but knew at the same moment that I needed to be sure and monitor his ability to watch these shows. He had started one of our Dr. Who shows and it scared him really bad. I was unfortunately not in the living room when he did this, and heard him scream and then he ran into the bathroom to find me. He never clicked on Dr. Who again, but this did not stop him to figure out how to use the guide and tell the DVR to record shows that I did not want him watching. Shows such as SpongeBob, Johnny Test, and other obscene, wild, somewhat violent cartoons. I kept finding these shows in the recorded area and thought it was Bryan programing them to record, but when I asked him if he had, his reply was "No." I then walked in on Bug programing a Disney movie a few weeks back and that is when I realized what was happening.

Bug behavior had changed a lot the past few months. Granted, he has a new baby sister, and behavior is bound to be challenging, but after seeing him hitting more, and then realizing that the super hero shows he had been watching with Bryan (i.e. Ben 10) showed people fighting, and punching and kicking each other, I quickly came to the conclusion that they were giving him the wrong signal.

So we made the decision to stop DishNetwork, and go with only DVD movies that we have here at home, or the ones we check out at the library. I also signed us up on Netflex, to watch some TV shows, and Bryan has been able to find several of our shows we watched on a weekly basis, on the Internet stations.

Surprisingly it has gone rather smoothly. I thought Bug would get upset not having his shows, but he loves his DVD's and the fact that he can pick his own DVD, put it in the machine, turn it on, and start it, makes him happy, and it is teaching him a fine motor skill too.

So far we are doing good, and I have found I am not as stressed, thinking I have to watch all the shows I have saved on the DVR. I can care for my family and home with out that hanging over my head. I also, enjoy my computer time more. *that is when I get a few moments*
Overall, it has brought peace in our home. I am much better able to turn off my computer than that TV. Bug still watches a lot of TV, but now I know what he is watching. And I can use the DVD's as currency. When he does something bad, I take a video away, and when he does something good he gets DVD's back. It has been working REALLY well!