Bad mom......

well I am a bad mom also. It was not till a few years ago we got tv. My dd who just graduated from high school with a 3.998 and a full academic scholarship has not suffered in the least . We also do not have a gaming system. : )

It is unusual, BUT THE GOOD KIND of unusual.

I know only 2 others that don't have tv's in their house and their kids benefit immensely because of it.
Just make sure you don't socially shelter them at the same time.

It is unusual but you are surely not NEGLECTING them by not having a TV!! I would have thought that this gave you more time to spend with them. Rather than parking them in front of a TV and letting them entertain themselves you are far more responsible for their free time.
I would say though that it might be a bit harsh on them with their peers at school - they will miss out on quite a few conversations and knowing what is going on in the drivel that teenagers watch these days. I only recently got a TV and my year 11's (aged 15/16) were in shock that I didn't have one, they really could not comprehend what I could possibly be doing instead of sitting watching TV!!

Unusual yes but good on you! Stick to your guns, kids don't need TV. When I was a kids my dad got so sick of us fighting over the TV and saying "but it's my favourite programme" that he cut the plug off the TV for 6 months - was so much better for us as a family, we read, played board games, made models and certainly didn't suffer. I try to limit my kids TV viewing but it is really easy to plonk them in front of it when you need a break LOL

Definitely have the good Mom vote from me

WEll..I don't think not having a TV makes me a "good" mom necessarily, but I'm a single mom and have to live on a frugal budget. Cable is something I just cant' justify as an expense (I'd much rather spend that money on outings/travel/camping etc..). We used to have a tv, but when I divorced and cut off the cable, the tv sat there unwatched for weeks (my house is very little, so space is precious). I ended up getting rid of it, and the kids didn't even NOTICE for over a week.

I had the same senerio... my dad did feel bad for me and bought me a digital anntenna so I now get a few channels. My daughter can watch PBS and that is it.

I tip my hat to you! I wish I could get rid of electronics in our house....my BF would freak if he came home and the TV was gone.....he and the kids also have, x box, psp, game boys, iphones, ipods,Wii and im sure im forgetting a few. Not to mention the hours on the pc gaming...... Ive literraly thought of chucking the computers (we have 2) out the window......
before the divorce the ex, kids and I had moved in the middle of nowhere, we had a tv with cheap bunny ears and on a good day we got TVO and PBS, Lived 3 years like this and it was awesome!
I think this makes you a better mom not a bad one:)

Unusual? Yes. Bad? No, not necessarily. I do think it is bad to completely shelter your children from the world, but that goes further than just not having a TV.

Yes, in this day and age, it's unusual. But in all honesty, I wish I didn't have one so I applaud you!

Other people need to keep their opinions to themselves about how people choose to raise their children unless there is actual harm being done.

When I stayed at home, we used the TV quite a bit.. but it was for MY convienence. It helped me have a little time to cook lunch, fold the laundry, or even just brush my teeth! He got to a point for a while where he seemed "addicted" to the TV so we completely got rid of it for two weeks. When we brought it back, he didn't care for it much and he began to watch only a small amount.

Now that I work a full 40 hour week, We don't use it hardly at all. A little on the weekends. Maybe a little Mickey Mouse while he eats breakfast and I run around and get everything ready for the day.

But, no, I see no reason you "have" to have a TV. We enjoy some of the shows that teach preschool type skills, but you can do that with books and toys, and he probably gets that all day at daycare!

I had a tv growing up. But once school was out for the summer, my parents would cancel the satellite and hide the cables for our snes. My sisters and I would protest a bit at first but then would enjoy the rest of our summer with fresh air.

Even now, I do own a tv but dont have cable. The comercials are so redundant and an insult to my percieved intelligence. They dont even try to be clever anymore! We occasionaly hook our laptops up to it if we want to view anything on a larger screen.

I commend you for not having one, being a hands on parent is never a bad thing.

I would have been more then happy to raise my child without TV (at least the cable part) I loved watching movies that I chose and purchased. We had a lot of good times putting in a Disney movie or whatever. My spouse on the other hand, could not seem to live without cable. I do not like the way it seemed to be the "go to" when we should have or could have been doing more constructive things. I don't have cable now, however I do have internet and my computer hooked up to my TV. Which means that anything I can see on my computer, I can in turn see on TV. I'm more then happy with that set-up. Kids will not miss a TV if they've never had one. Even now, when my daughter visits, we sit down to a purchased movie. Eventually they will get older and be watching it at their friends house or their own house anyways...so they'll get to see all the crap they've missed. So more power to you and your kids haha

I don't have cable or internet in the house, the kids get to have a movie night on friday or saturday and they get one new movie. I think my kids are better for it

So, yes, unusual to not have a tv, but not a bad mom for not letting them watch it. We have several (want one?). I frequently give the kids a day where no tv is allowed. Especially now that it is summer, I am finding many days the tv just sits there all alone because I am a bad momma that makes the kids go outside...for long periods of time! Good for you for not having one.

Not having a TV doesn't make someone a "hands on" parent any more than having one makes someone a "hands off" parent.

We have a TV...it isn't even plugged in and we don't watch it.

I think it's the other way around that if you used the TV as a babysitter you are a bad mom. Without a TV our kids develop an imagination, are involved with what goes on around the house and develop better social skills. We all have our own way of raising kids and it won't be the same as someone else's.

she is just lazy and/or jealous becuase she does not know how to entertain her kids, while you actually do, or they actually know how to have fun.

kudos to you.