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My Kids Live in a House Without A TV
I shouldn’t feel bad for them, but sometimes I do.
Yesterday, my son unwrapped a birthday present from the kids next door. It was a few days early but they were going away and wanted him to have it. My son is turning 3, and this is the first year he is REALLY EXCITED about his birthday.
He unwrapped the gift to find a Toy Story playset. When he took it out of the package, he held up Buzz Lightyear and proudly said, “I’m going to call him Larry!”
Yes, it’s true. He doesn’t know what Toy Story is. It’s hard to strike the right tone with what I’m about to say: we don’t have a TV in our house. We’re not crazy, anti-technology people who protect our kids from the seedier influences like Disney or Pixar at all costs. We just have a busy life and a small house and don’t have the mental or physical space for a TV.
Despite this, I think my kids are also incredibly lucky. As I look out the window over my desk, I see a huge trampoline, my daughter’s treehouse, bikes, a ninja-line, our canoes, kayaks and sailboat. We have camping gear and skiing gear, all of which get regular use. Today we will probably go for a 2 or 3 mile hike in our local town forest and later this afternoon, both kids will participate in a running series at the local track. Tonight, we’ll play Legos before reading books together in bed.
