Change your TV and change your life?

http://www.sharpusa.com/


I recently saw this ad by the Sharp Company and it really got me to thinking. Is life so simple that I could literally change my life by just getting a new TV? Wow that is indeed amazing! Sharp to their credit does not say that your life will change for the better or for the worse. They only say it will change.

Okay Sharp! Last weekend I took your advice and purchased a 19 inch TV to replace the 21 year old unit in our bedroom. Sure, I am too cheap and watch too little TV to have cable in this room but I did nonetheless make the change.

A full week has gone by and for some reason I do not feel any different. I did have really strange sensation a few days ago but it turned out to be a cramp in my foot. I weighed this morning hoping perhaps to see a change there and unfortunately I am still fat. I looked in the mirror to see if perhaps I was somehow better looking and darn it no change there either. Oh well.

Just last night my son was on a phone talking to a friend about TV. I heard him say, “You have a TV in your room? Lucky! My dad says I can never have one in my room.” I was left to imagine the comment that followed by the person he was speaking with. Next to his credit my son was able to explain why. “My dad says when he was a kid he had a TV, phone, and video games in his room. There was never a reason to leave the room and never a reason to interact with the rest of the family as a result. That is why he wants the TV time and the game time to be something we do together”

That’s right son. I have changed my TV (habits at least) and changed my life by finally getting off my butt some 20 years ago and getting outside to exercise and enjoy my life.

Change your TV to OFF and you will indeed change your life.

What about you? Do your kids have TV's in their rooms? Am I nuts here? Share your thoughts.

Comments

  1. Robin MeadowsApril 17, 2009 at 11:04 AM

    You are an intentional nut of a father who will always enjoy a great relationship with your son. Keep on being nutty!

    Oh, and fat? No way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AmandaApril 19, 2009 at 7:29 PM

    Indeed a good post. I actually read it aloud to my husband. I recently bought a new camera and constantly drag him out of beautiful days to go do things with me. We are newly weds and nothing bothers me more than other offer of quality time followed by "What movie do you want to watch?"

    I remember being frustrated as a kid because my parents always were in front of the TV and my brother always glued to video games. So I make every effort to not be like that!

    I think you doing great as a parent! I've read several of your posts and have yet to disagree with anything you have said or done. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael BurkeApril 20, 2009 at 10:17 AM

    David, I only hope to raise Spenser as well as you and Michelle have done with Connor. Keep it up and I'll keep checking back for good advice!

    Thanks,
    Michael
    (Tell Michelle I said hi)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dusty ChrisApril 26, 2009 at 10:02 AM

    Had you bought the 48" LCD HD TV...It would have changed your life. My son has a TV in his room (Ok, I am a bad father) that the whole family play WII on...and WII Fit. There are usually 5-10 kids in his room playing as well. I haven't noticed any social or physical deficits in his life up to this point.

    I enjoyed reading your post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. David C.April 26, 2009 at 11:33 AM

    Thanks for the comment Dusty. It does sound like you have an exciting life there at your house. I checked out your blog as well and it looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gator005May 19, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    No tv in our boys rooms either...but we do have a computer w/o internet access so they can play games.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to make money work for you

I can still remember when I first read The Millionaire Next Door. I was new in my career having moved from my small hometown to "the city" (Oklahoma City) to start my adult working life. This was the early 90's and there was a recession going on. For some reason, there did not seem to be much of a demand for people with a degree in Government from a small college and work experience that consisted of being a janitor at a hospital.  I had tried to find a job for many months before I finally was offered one by Cellular One as a call center collections agent. The starting pay was $14,000 base with a possible $3,000 bonus which turned out to be the absolute minimum I thought I could survive on.  Flash forward just a couple of years later and I hear about this book that tells stories of how average people with an average income ended up being very wealthy. At the time, the primary learning I took away was that most millionaires did not drive Porsche 911 or wear an Italian suit
Read more

A life well lived

Image
This week I read the wonderful obituary of a man known simply as "H". His actual first name was Harold but based on the description of his life I get the feeling that he lived it with such gusto that he simply did not have time for the formality of his full name. "H" Now that is a man you can hang out with on the front porch while sipping a cold one or bushwhack through a jungle on a grand adventure. I kind of imagined what it would have been like to meet him for the first time. Hello, my name is Harold and I move pretty fast so all my friends just call me "H" and since pretty much everyone is my friend that is what you can call me". Nice to meet you "H" Here are just a few facts there were listed about his life: Born 1934 Met the love of his life in 2nd grade and was married to her 54 years before her passing Grew up on a 125,000 ranch near Mexico Started work as a roughneck at the age of 12 Went to college on a scholarship
Read more

“You have bigger boobs than me”

Image
“You have bigger boobs than me” Ouch! This was said to me in jest by a girlfriend of mine back in the spring of 1989 as we were eating a big tray of nachos. I was 21 years old at the time and in my fourth year of college. I am person that has struggled with my weight as long as I can remember and it seemed no matter what I tried it would just not come off. As a youth, I remember the teasing from the other kids very clearly. I also remember the feeling as I stood there at gym or recess knowing I was going to be the last person to get picked for whatever sport we were being forced to play. My fear of athletic failure kept me from doing any sports. Exercise was a truly was a stranger to me. Really, up until that moment in 1989 I don’t think my heart had ever risen above 100 BPM unless I was running to grab the last ding dong from the box. The boob comment for some reason though lit a spark in me. I decided at that moment that I was going to change my life. I was going to learn to eat ri
Read more