Can Your Life Be Richer Without TV?

[MissBrattified]

I have a really hard time sitting down and *just* watching TV. If I have to, I'm usually multi-tasking. Maybe I'm ADD too...I don't know. I do like the background noise, and I often leave it on when I'm cooking or cleaning. I did the same thing with the radio before we had TV.

However.

I DO think it's a time waster for many people.
I DO think its absence is best for children, although not in the sense that it's a *sin* or forbidden fruit, but rather in the sense that there are so many better things to do.

I'm reading a book right now called "Simplicity Parenting", which I love. Based on some of the research and perspectives in the book, I would say that television can not only be a hindrance to a child's proper growth and development, but can actually be damaging to younger children. (Especially over-exposure.)

Here's my test for myself: If I ever feel tempted to brush off a real person in my home in favor of a tv show, then I know *it* has become too important to me. Real life relationships are much more important than anything we watch on tv, and tv should never take priority over those relationships or the needs of those people.