Tushies, baseball, and apple pie vs. Tony, John, and Stephen

This week is National tv "cut off" time. I was listening to NRP yesterday morning when I heard a child reporting on her activities with her sister--in light of having no television to watch this week, evidently a sacrifice demanded by her parents as an experiment. The week seemed to be a success so far for her.

I would have to say the same for our week--almost. Our daughter Kimberly and her twenty-two month old son, Cole, have been visiting from Seattle. Several months ago, Kimberly and her partner, Sheri, also decided to give up their tv, but this time it was not just for a week; they gave away their television set. Garlan and I decided to watch no television also for the week in which they visited. I had to admit that it was very hard for us to make such a decision since we are of the old school who remember when television was a big treat in the 1950's when they were not readily found in the majority of American households. Indeed, I used to stand in an alley in Greenville, Mississippi, at age nine or so, peering into the window of a friend's house trying to see The Mickey Mouse Club--the old one, of course, with Annette Funicello and other favorites.

Our just passed weeklong visit was spent instead watching Cole "lift up his tushie" many times for a diaper change (quite a show since he throws up his legs at the proper time and holds each one with a gigantic grin on his face accompanied by a big laugh). We also had lots of time for the zoo, long walks on the neighborhood paths, the children's discovery museum, the Clinton Presidential Library, many trips to the playground, and an Arkansas Travelers' baseball game. We even had lunch with Cole's second grade cousin Caitlyn at Cathedral School with a traditional American meal of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and apple pie. I wonder how many of these activities we would have enjoyed had we put Cole in front of the television to watch cartoons for the week.

It was not an easy decision to make though since I am fully addicted to three television shows now that I am retired: The Sopranos running the old seasons on A & E, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. In fact, I could not live without them even for a week; I had to excuse myself (luckily during Cole's bathtime and subsequent bedtime) to watch. As I think about Kimberly and Cole's next visit to Little Rock, I am going to try to go "cold turkey" along with them. Perhaps if I start trying to taper off occasionally now, I can do it. After all, I will have a year to prepare for it.