David Lippy,
Contributing
Columnist

We did it. We actually did it and the results have been nothing less than spectacular! For the second summer in a row our family had the courage to unplug the television! We did it against the backdrop of a brand new baby, a 12 year old who complains on a regular basis she is bored and a father who is a die-hard baseball and overall sports fan.

What did we do right? For starters, we let our son know for a few months that when pre-school ended we were going to turn off the television. We talked about it. We discussed it and we even role played what might happen if there were tears and consternation about the decision.

Our new baby was born the first week of June and with all of the commotion that brings as well as a host of family, friends and well wishers, the time didn’t seem right, so we kept postponing. We did keep the subject on the front burner letting our little four year old know that the time was coming when the television would be going off for the rest of the summer.

July 1st was the time we picked and off went the tube. To our amazement, we have not been asked even once to turn it back on! Our son went right back to the things he has always loved doing since he was 18 months old. Playing with his Thomas Trains, playing educational games on his computer, playing with friends in the neighborhood and asking Mom and Dad to read him more stories.

As a parent it is so rewarding to see good planning and family teamwork come together for the betterment of everybody. The easy thing to do with a newborn would be to watch television constantly. Instead we are reading more, talking more, taking walks and interacting with our children much more frequently. Dinner is no loner a rush so we can turn on the television. We don’t watch the clock by the hour of a particular program coming on. Finally, our child’s already active imagination seems to have made another giant leap forward.

All it takes is courage, discipline and the quiet confidence to know you’re doing the right thing for your children and family. It sure has been a wonderful month for us.