The first Monday morning without TV was surprising. After a rough night shoving my son’s feet out of my ribs (he ends up in our bed about every night), waking my husband to carry our son back to his own bed (the kid is too heavy for me to lift), and rocking the two year old back to sleep a couple of times, I was not looking forward to the quiet morning. 6 am rolls around, and the two year old (who I will now call Sassy) starts calling for Mommy. I stumble into her room, hoping to convince her to sleep just a little longer, but she was ready to go. “I go kitchen! I want snack.” So, up we go. First stop, the potty. We are potty training. She likes to sit on the big potty and draw on it with bathtub crayons. Whatever works. I’m too tired to care. Next stop, the kitchen. I think longingly about the living room couch. Just thirty more minutes is all I need. But, there is now no TV in the kitchen to entertain the baby. Sassy requests, “Clippord!” (which is the big, red dog if you haven't guessed.) I reply, “We don’t have Clippord in the kitchen any more.” “I go bed” (which means my bed) “watch Clippord.” I inform her that daddy is still sleeping and distract her with food.
About this time the 5 year old (who I will now call Bubba) shuffles into the kitchen. He promptly turns out all the lights, which sets off the 2 year old. I am getting slightly panicky. Sassy is barely picking at her breakfast, and Bubba refuses to eat anything. He wants to eat breakfast at school. I persuade him to at least have some hot chocolate, and the baby now wants chocolate milk, too. Meanwhile, Mommy needs coffee real bad, plus Mommy hasn’t had a morning pit stop. My son stares at computer then stares at me. I chirp, “we can’t play a computer game right now, we need to eat breakfast and get ready for school!” He growls, “I know that!” and his eyes bore into me with such disgust that I almost back down. “Let’s wake up Daddy” I sing!
Daddy plods into the kitchen, and the kids run off together. I call after them, “remember, no TV this morning.” But they aren’t heading to my room and our TV. They go into my son’s room and actually start playing together! What? Usually, Sassy can’t stand playing with her brother. He loves to hug and pick her up, and she will have none of that. Yet, here they are giggling together and not screaming at each other. Huh.
The rest of the morning goes pretty easily. I feel the itch to get on the computer, but all I do is check the bank balance and shut it. No facebook for me. The kids don’t ask for the TV at all. It is more quiet and less stressful. Bubba gets ready for school with little prodding from us, and the only trouble comes from the baby. Sassy doesn’t want to get dressed and go. We wrestle her into her clothes, and my husband and the kids are out of the door early! I actually have time to enjoy my coffee and get ready. All in all, I am pleased. I don’t feel rushed, I am experiencing less stress, and after the kids are out the door, I can drink my coffee and peruse FB in peace before getting ready for work. And, the TV hasn’t been on once.
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