On a recent trip, my daughter and I were tossing her stuffed animal around the hotel room. The toy spun around near the ceiling and came to rest on the corner of the TV, high above our heads.
My daughter pointed and tried to explain where the animal landed, on the, the, the … she didn’t have the word for “TV.” Yep, we had to tell our 4-year-old what that big, black rectangle was called.
It’s not because she’s behind on vocab — we just don’t have one in our home.
Five years ago, when my family moved across the country, we decided to ditch our old TV to travel with fewer boxes. It wasn’t worth the extra hassle to have another “handle with care” item in the truck.
We quickly realized that we liked our lifestyle without a television and decided not to replace it. Whenever I mention this to a friend, or someone comes over and sees a big painting where a TV usually is, they look at me like I have two heads.
For our family, though, this living-room setup feels completely natural.
Without a TV, no-screen rules are automatic and easy to enforce
When our daughter was born, my husband and I set a goal to avoid screen time altogether for as long as possible. Not having a TV helps us achieve that.
We didn’t introduce any movies or shows to her at home, and we’re still going strong four years later. At first, it was harder for us as parents to get creative with new activities, but we enjoyed the challenge.
Instead, we spend a lot of time reading books and playing games. My daughter and I visit the neighborhood library together at least once a week. I’ve started reading more as well, often opting for a bedtime book myself instead of staring at my iPad.
We spend lots of quality time together, too. Some nights, we’ll run races in loops around the kitchen and living room or pretend a cardboard box is an airplane and zoom around. Now that she’s older, we’ve started playing board games.
I know we can’t keep screens and tech out of our lives forever, but we hope we’ve given her a solid foundation of analog alternatives that she can turn to as she grows.
We spend extra time outside in all kinds of weather
My husband and I love hiking, running, snowboarding, and more. We’ve kept up our outdoor activities and found ways to include our daughter.
No matter the weather, we’re moving and playing outside. If it’s raining, we do a puddle-jump walk. If it’s warm and sunny, we slather on the SPF and dive into the pool or take a bike ride around the playground.
A snowy day means taking the sled to the park for laps on the hill, snowball fights, and building a snowman or a fort.
There’s no TV by the couch beckoning us to linger like we used to. Weekends spent watching Netflix or sports are a distant memory. I think we’re all staying healthier as a result.
We do break out an iPad occasionally, mainly for big sports moments
There are a few times I do miss having a big screen, like when our home team makes it to the playoffs or the Olympics roll around.
We usually get around this, though, by planning watch parties with friends — or setting up the iPad to catch special moments. When Faith Kipyegon was shooting for a record-breaking mile in under four minutes, I pulled up the stream and watched with my daughter on the kitchen floor.
All in all, though, we have no regrets and don’t plan on purchasing a TV anytime soon. The benefits of living without one — and the sight of our daughter’s artwork hung on the wall where a TV would usually be — matter more than any confused looks.
I’m fine being the no-TV family, exploring the world instead of watching it on a screen.
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