Can Kids Cope Without T.V.?

We are often asked how our kids cope without television while we are traveling. Inherent in the question is a belief that something awful will happen if the kids aren’t given a daily dose of Nickelodeon or Disney Channel, that without being able to zone out to at least a half hour of Sponge Bob every day they will reenact Lord of the Flies in our hotel room.

This question confused me for a very long time, but after careful thought and analysis I now understand why the question is asked…

My premise requires a general agreement that T.V. is mainly used to fill time. That is, we use T.V. to occupy our minds and to distract us from other pursuits or activities. Sure, sure there are now many educational programs available on cable, and I am personally a big fan of the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet…but let’s be honest, most programming is mindless entertainment.

Where is our T.V.?

Both parents and children use T.V. mainly to “kill time”. Got a ½ hour before a friend comes over, flip on the tube. Stressed after a long day at school, the couch and remote will take you away. Instead of tackling a story by Hemingway or Twain, Law and Order will keep us entertained. Stressed from work…how about a little Barney Miller (had to throw in a little old school) for relief from a hard day’s work.

Parents will also “use” T.V. on their children. If you do not want to be bothered, throw Johnny in front of Sesame Street for a while. Trying to get dinner finished but kids pestering you…tell them to watch a little T.V. until dinner is ready.

Strange really, T.V. is used as a drug by all of us. So the question really becomes what happens to kids when you take away their drug?

I could understand when the question was asked by someone that had not traveled with kids, but some of the questions were asked by parents that we knew had traveled with their children. This confused us, because our experience was very positive but it was obvious by the tone of the questioning that their experience had not been positive.

What I realized is that when most families travel they are really just taking a “vacation”, and their vacations look strangely similar to their life at home. The routines they develop are mirror images of how they spend their weekends…roll out of bed, flip on the tube, grab a bowl of cereal, mom paints her nails while dad checks emails, etc., etc..

Pile in the rented SUV, head to the first tourist attraction, wait in line and spend a bunch of cash, grab a bite on your way to the next attraction, head home for dinner, kids watch the tube while mom makes dinner and dad checks email. Everyone piles in the living room after dinner to relax after a hard day of vacationing to watch a little English language Bay Watch.

You get the point. We are creatures of habit and when we travel we typically reproduce our habits in whatever locale we happen to be.

This is where the difference starts with us. Whether we are taking a 1 week vacation or spending a year traveling throughout Latin America, we travel much differently than we live at home.

For us travel is not about packing as much into our day as possible, quite the opposite in fact. It is about slowing down, trying to live in the moment, and enjoy the people and experience we encounter…beginning with each other.

We find that kids cope quite well without T.V., and that after the first week or so they never mention missing it. In fact, the kids flourish without wasting time in front of the T.V. and choose NOT to have a T.V. in the room if we are given a choice where we are staying. That’s right; the kids prefer not to have a T.V. in our hotel room, apartment, or rental house!

The reason for this is quite simple; they enjoy the activities that replace T.V. much more than killing time.

Inevitably the next question we receive after we inform that our kids not only cope without T.V. but prefer it is, what do you do with this time?

Unfortunately my answer is usually a disappointment. I do not have a secret, or magic answer to reveal. The activities that replace T.V. are simple and available to anyone that chooses to pursue them.

We spend time reading, we enjoy reading out loud to the kids each evening, we play games…lots of card games, and we talk. We may choose an art or craft, or to take a hike, or walk to the store. There are many cool tourist attractions to visit when we travel, and even the simplest of activities such as getting money can be a days adventure.

Kids not only cope but thrive without T.V.. By simply replacing the time spent watching television with other activities your kids will have a more enjoyable time when they travel.

Want to read more from Sean?  He also writes for AffordableCallingCards.net where he blogs about his life as an expat.   Come by both blogs and share a comment!

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