Each year we do something a little bit different, but in general, our family suspends our television service when football season ends. This year, we shut off our service with a few weeks still remaining in the NFL’s regular season. Yes, I have to admit that the Vikings’ uninspiring play led me to shut off the television a bit earlier than normal.
We did, however, sneak over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for those few remaining Viking games and even the Super Bowl. While I do miss watching some of the key match-ups in college basketball, there is really nothing else about television that I miss.
My kids are not exposed to any of those crummy commercials that either depicts a man as being stupid, or celebrating a woman for her physical attributes. Crude humor that is disrespectful is definitely not missed and gory advertisements for shows like CSI have no place in our home. In fact, I am not sure if the television will ever get turned back on.
I have to admit that it was not easy at first. Through habit, I had largely trained myself to get home, eat dinner, help with the dishes, do something with the kids, put the kids to bed, and then…. sit on the couch and watch television. It was our hour or two to “veg.” It was a hard habit to break at first.
With technology though, I can check all the sports scores and highlights that I want in about five minutes on the Internet. Now I don’t have to wade through the 35 minutes of SportsCenter where they give us the Days of Our Lives commentary on every locker room in America. This player said this…. or this coach did that…. he is in jail for this…. this guy wants this much money…I don’t have to read about any of it.
Now each night our family can play catch with the football downstairs, shoot hoops at the mini-hoop, wrestle, read books, play games, and yes, even play Polly Pockets with little Rachel! My wife and I both like to read, but that oftentimes leads to falling asleep on the couch. A little more sleep in all of our lives probably isn’t a bad thing anyway.
While I miss watching the big Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry games and the occasional Celtics game, not having the negatives that television brings into our lives has been nice. It may not be for everyone, but so far we enjoy the lack of noise.
Mitch Dorr, a Cook County High School Class of 1993 graduate, is now a social studies teacher and coach at his former alma mater. Mitch coaches Vikings football and boys’ basketball. Coach Dorr’s comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ISD 166 school board or administration.
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