On second glimpse however, you might get the feeling that something is missing; the TV. Yes, we do not have a TV. Well, to be correct, we do own a TV. A really nice flat screen actually. But it sits disconnected in our closet.
There was a time, when this TV was the center of our living room: Sitting on its TV cabinet, (which we now use as a bar in our dining room), it would entertain our evenings and our weekends. Often we ate dinner in front of it to relax. It was just so easy to switch on the TV and just "shut off" yourself and drown everything else out. Thinking back now, it seems strange how much time we spent, sitting passively on the couch, looking at the TV instead of each other.
This all changed when my husband decided to upgrade his salt water fish tank to a 75 gallon display. Once filled, it is almost impossible to move, so we were faced with the task of finding a good, permanent spot for it. It couldn't be too close to a window or patio door, as it makes it harder to control the lighting. And speaking of lighting, it needed to be close to at least one outlet. We wanted it to be in a place, where we could comfortably see it, while relaxing on the couch. Only then, it became obvious to us that that place had already been taken - by our TV. We now had to make a decision. Compared to the beauty of a colorful aquarium, you would think that it was an easy choice. It was not. After a lot of consideration, we decided to move the TV, planning on mounting it on the wall once everything was in it's place. So in the closet it went. You already know that it never made it out of there.
After setting up the fish tank, Ron was searching for a wall mount, but finding the right one was more difficult than he had originally thought. We got sidetracked with other things and after a few months we realized, we didn't miss watching TV too much anymore. Now, we spent our evenings, talking or working on little fun projects. I even had time to read! On the weekends, we now spent more time outside and with friends or family. It was like we were given all this additional time. However, at that point we were still planning on installing the TV back in out living room. And then, I got pregnant...
Expecting my first child made me think back to my own childhood. Some of my fondest childhood memories were our family vacations (we'd always go camping on the beach in the summer, either in France or Holland), spending hot summer days in the garden, picking cherries from the cherry tree and foggy nights during fall and winter when we would gather around the dining table by candle light and my parents would read to us. None of them included a TV. I do remember my dad taking us to see a movie once in a while, but instead of the movie, I remember holding his stand while standing in line, the smell of sweet popcorn and the anticipation of having my ticket clipped.
I want my daughter to have a life filled with moments and memories like this. I knew, that having a TV would only take away from that.
This decision is not about about forbidding our child to watch TV. When we are at friend's house and the TV happens to be on, she can watch a little. And don't get me wrong, sometimes my husband and I will watch a show on our laptop. I just so happen to be a major movie lover, so I don't want to be a hypocrite. However, I've done enough research to know that any screen time is discouraged for babies and children under the age of two. So I keep a watchful eye on these rare events.
Our intend is to create a neutral space for baby Amelie to concentrate on the important things in life, like playing and being creative, without being deflected by countless commercials and hectically changing camera angles and flashing images. This includes media such as cell phones, computers and tablets. I know that soon enough, technology will be big part of her life, so I want to take advantage of this brief time in her life to protect her from it.
That's why my husband and I made the decision to leave our TV in the closet for the time being. I don't know how long it will stay in there. For now, we are happy without it.