No TV!!!

I have a feeling that I'm not the only mom in America that is guilty of using the TV during the day as entertainment for the kids. Of course I say I'm only turning it on so I can grab a quick shower in the morning but when my shower is done it never gets turned off, and since it's on a "kids" station that claims it's programing is "educational" I justify letting my sons brains turn to mush as they spend countless hours watching mindless tv. But lately Colton and Braden have been driving me crazy with their short attention spans, disregard to the house rules, and wild running around and I realized the biggest reason is MY FAULT. In stead of giving them the attention they need and the guidance I should, I gave them the BIG BLACK BOX in the living room that stays turned on from the moment we wake up till we head to bed.

So today I woke up and decided enough is enough and there will be no more TV during the summer during the day. Since I'm a stay at home mom I have full control over the remote and plan on leaving it in the box on the mantle. I can not stop my hubby from turning the darn thing on once he gets home but I'm hoping he will see the improvement in the boys and decide that no TV is a good thing and keep the thing off until they go to bed!!

It's only 11 am in the morning and so far my boys have played more, used their imagination more, TALKED more ( which since they both have some speech issues is a HUGE thing), interactive more with each other and most of all been far more calmer and obeyed better than they have in a VERY LONG TIME!!!! The funny thing is that I too have been far more productive in my house hold chores which surprises me since I figured it won't really effect me that much because it was always "kid" shows blaring in the house.

I know that the greatest impact is that I will have to give MORE OF ME to the boys by correcting them when they do things that are wrong instead of ignoring them and letting go back to watching TV like I use to. It also means that when they get tired and are cranky instead of putting in a movie to let them vegetate I will actually have to teach them to calm down and give them skills for coping other than mindless watching of the tv--so my "work" as mom will increase but the truth is that is my job anyway!! I am the one that let the TV do my parenting and it is very evident in the behaviors of my kids so it's my job to undue those effects and put into them what they need to be a success in life.

I am loving the peaceful sound that the house has today!! I have found that since I"m getting old I don't tolerate background noise like I use to. All those years I longed to be a parent again and wanted the sound of kids in the house had been drowned out with the noise of the TV, now I'm fully enjoying the sounds of my sons as they play imaginary things--they really do have a great imagination and it's so cute to hear them "pretend" to be deep sea fishermen or wild animals in the jungle. The sounds of their laughter is so much better than the sound of "qubo" blaring in the background!

I hope I have the strength to keep it up as it really is so easy to turn on that darn TV when you need a few minutes of peace and quite!! It won't be easy putting back into my boys all that I should have been putting into them all along but in the end having well behaved kids that can sit still for more than two minutes will be worth all the effort! Anyone else out there ready to take the NO TV PLUNGE? I'd love to hear it if you are and willing to lend support during those trying moments when you want to go back to letting the TV keep your kids quite and entertained so you can have a few moments of peace.