I just got back from Orlando, which is reason for the recent silence.
It was mind boggling being in a place whose major source of revenue stems from TV and the movies, the impressions we hold of them, the emotions they stir in us.
On this trip, I skipped Disney, but got a chance to see Universal Studios Theme Park.
The Seuss part of Universal's Islands of Adventure, I was quite happy to discover, is a 3-D appreciation of Theodore Seuss Geisel's literary work. Yeah, books!
And the Marvel Comics portion of the park is very inspired by the comic books, and not any of the movies.
All in all, it was a nice trip. I only turned on the TV in the hotel once. I am serious.
The kids spent one night of my absence at the home of my in-laws. They asked my husband, "Did you stop letting the kids watch TV?" "Yes," he answered. "Well, they couldn't take their eyes off of it," his mother answered.
I am happy that, now, when the kids see TV they actually watch it instead of having it as background noise. All in all, I am finding this experiment to be very positive for all of us.
I don't have television either, though we have netflix in the winter and high speed internet (which means I can watch colbert and the daily show and maddow and olberman and the list is growing, so now I have computer fasts too.... just to keep things in balance)....
ReplyDeleteand my ability to tolerate the background noise of a television is low. if the radio or a movie is on, I'm completely sucked in or asking if it can be turned off. I'm very sensitive to environmental stimulus. sometimes I need to luxuriate in complete silence. even the hum of the hot water heater can bother me.
I love when we go to camp at our property that is about 10 miles from the nearest electrical grid. it's so, so quiet. and yet noisy -- with birds and elk calling to each other and the wind in the trees. it's amazing to hear, really hear all those noises of nature. when we go and camp at the property, my dogs are completely beside themselves in ecstasy the first day, running around, smelling everything, and by the second day, they are exhausted from being constantly stimulated. at home, they are lazy and understimulated.