Note: Marieke and I got divorced in 2020. This post might not reflect the current situation.
I am not the person that hates TV. Or TV shows. Or thinks that reading is better than watching TV. Or that the book is always better than the movie.
I am not too proud to admit that I have watched The Bachelor(ette), Big Brother, Geordie Shore, most talent shows and a bunch of other TV shows that probably won’t help building my street cred as an intellectual (and I enjoyed it).
But lately, the TV was keeping me from doing the things I love. I love to read. I love to play board games. But above all, I love to make memories with my wife and our daughter Ella.
Early mornings. Around 6AM, when our daughter Ella wakes up, I take her downstairs, have breakfast with her and often turn on the TV to lay down on the couch to get some extra rest. Ella will spend some time on her iPad, I will watch TV. There even are mornings when she wants to play with DUPLOs, make drawings, play outside and I can’t be bothered to get out of the couch, away from the TV.
And I don’t want to be that dad.
I don’t want her to grow up thinking that watching TV is important. I don’t want her to grow up remembering the moments we shared with her watching her iPad and me watching TV.
I want her to appreciate reading, playing games and spending family time together. I want her to remember goofing around together.
Same for the evenings. My wife and I will eat and we will both sit or lay down on the couch watching TV. Hours pass. Nothing happens. No one remembers.
I would rather talk with my wife. Hear what she has been up to.
Read.
Play games.
But watching TV was easier. In the way that fast food is easier than cooking your own meal. And in the way that not going out for a run is easier than going out for run.
Watching TV became the default option.
And my wife felt the same.
So, the TV had to go.
And so we got rid of our television.
This sunday afternoon I carried our TV up to the attic, for our TV-less pilot period. For the next few weeks, we can occasionally watch series on our iPad, but predominantly, our mornings and evenings will be spent reading, playing, making memories.
Not because TV is bad or inferior. But because we appreciate reading, playing games and making memories more.
