I don't ever feel like it takes over my life. We don't even have time to watch regular TV. On weekends or some nights we will catch up on missed shows via hulu, Netflix or Amazon, but only if we don't have something better to do.
The kids, on the other hand, have to be limited. Not so much TV, but they can get caught up in facebook and other online activities for hours if I don't supervise their usage.
During the holidays, we'll watch several of our favorite movies with the kids. That counts as family time. We pop popcorn, the kids sprawl out on our bed and we watch the movie in our bedroom. We watched
Secondhand Lions last night. I love that movie. Love it when they shoot the salesmen, love it when the lion finally becomes a "real" lion, LOVE it when Uncle Hub throws things into the hospital hallway and checks himself out--reminds me of my Dad. (He hated the hospital and would behave VERY badly while thus "imprisoned."
)
Princess Bride will be on the Must Watch List, and probably
The Grinch.
My opinion: Media, entertainment, and technology should be an asset and a compliment to your life and your family. It shouldn't be allowed to take over, but no one should be scared of it. Keep things balanced. And if you find yourself languishing in front of the TV everyday for hours then you DO need to get your butt up and do something different. That's not good for anyone,
especially children.
In regard to the time issue only, watching a television show is no different than reading a book. It's comical how some people will demonize watching a show for an hour, but they can sit around and read a good book for the same amount of time and have no problem with it. Bottom line,
if you are shucking your responsibilities for a TV show OR for a good book, you need to man up and take care of your obligations first. The specifics of the time waster are less important. Take care of your responsibilities first (including your responsibilities to God) and then who cares how you spend your recreational time?