I am waiting for my youngest child to leave HS in three years...

[Kaieye]

My wife and I said no to cable so that means very limited TV in our household. Like almost none.

We decided years ago that it might be detrimental to their grades and we were right. The eldest is applying right now for a ivy league college education.

I purposely avoid watching the large screen TV when I go to Costco, Best Buys, etc.etc.

Lately, its been hell waiting. Its like having a large steak in front of you and your starving.

 

[SN4p]

You could always just learn to control your children.

 

[Kelemvor]

Or put a lock on the TV so they can't turn it on without knowing a code or something. Or put it in your bedroom.

 

[Poulsonator]

Originally posted by: SN4p
You could always just learn to control your children.

He did, and they're reaping the rewards it sounds like.

Good job, Kaieye. That's some serious self/family discipline right there. And when you are finally able to get that monster TV you've always wanted, it'll be that much sweeter. By then it'll be that much more cheaper and better as well!

 

[BlackTigers]

So he's applying for an ivy league school because you don't have a TV?

....

 

[tfinch2]

Oh noes, I watched TV growing up so I am an utter failure.


Oh...wait...no I'm not.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Kaieye
My wife and I said no to cable so that means very limited TV in our household. Like almost none.

We decided years ago that it might be detrimental to their grades and we were right. The eldest is applying right now for a ivy league college education.

I purposely avoid watching the large screen TV when I go to Costco, Best Buys, etc.etc.

Lately, its been hell waiting. Its like having a large steak in front of you and your starving.

Proof?

There is no evidence that is why he is applying at an ivy league school. Assuming for a minute that was a true statement, applying != going to. I could apply to an Ivy League school. Doesn't mean I'll get accepted.

Everybody says GWB is an idiot, well he applied AND WENT TO Yale and Harvard.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

correlation <> causation

 

[K1052]

lol...obviously the evil tv was the difference, not good parenting

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
So he's applying for an ivy league school because you don't have a TV?

....

I can almost guarantee to you that it's a factor. Not quite as much a factor as having parents who obviously are involved and invested in their child's welfare and education, but still a factor.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
correlation <> causation

There's not correlation OR causation there.

edit: to clear up what I mean:

Statement A: I don't let my kids listen to music.

Statement B: They apply at an Ivy League school

There is no relationship between the two by that simple sentence.

Statement A does not cause Statement B to be true.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
So he's applying for an ivy league school because you don't have a TV?

....

I can almost guarantee to you that it's a factor. Not quite as much a factor as having parents who obviously are involved and invested in their child's welfare and education, but still a factor.

Really? You can almost guarantee that it's a factor?

Link to studies that say the lack of watching TV helps you get into better schools, or something along those lines. Why not use the parental controls that all cable boxes have to you know, control what and when your kids can watch?

 

[imported_Imp]

Not sure if I'm proof or counter-proof, so here are the facts. I spend every minute of my free time, when I'm not outside, infront of the TV, even if I'm at my computer. I did over 90% of all my school work and studying from grade school to college infront of the TV. Somehow I managed to graduate with a civil engineering degree being ranked #10 out of 60-ish in my last semester at one of the best schools in my country (ranked in top 5, usually #3 or higher).

I'm sure having no TV helped by not having a possible distraction in the house. But what happens when you ship him out to college? Pull away the chains, suddenly he has the freedom to do anything he wants. I hope he has enough discipline in himself to do it.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: SN4p
You could always just learn to control your children.

um, that is part of controlling your children.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Imp
Not sure if I'm proof or counter-proof, so here are the facts. I spend every minute of my free time, when I'm not outside, infront of the TV, even if I'm at my computer. I did over 90% of all my school work and studying from grade school to college infront of the TV. Somehow I managed to graduate with a civil engineering degree being ranked #10 out of 60-ish in my last semester at one of the best schools in my country (ranked in top 5, usually #3 or higher).

I'm sure having no TV helped by not having a possible distraction in the house. But what happens when you ship him out to college? Pull away the chains, suddenly he has the freedom to do anything he wants. I hope he has enough discipline in himself to do it.

What college kid that's been in a repressed enviornment (Catholic school girls, overbearing parents that ban (insert thing here), etc), get into college and 90% will go party their ass off and end up failing out of college.

 

[vshah]

i watched a shit ton of tv when i was a kid and i still did well. i think its more the good parenting than the lack of TV but...you have to listen to the wife either way i guess

 

[Poulsonator]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
So he's applying for an ivy league school because you don't have a TV?

....

I can almost guarantee to you that it's a factor. Not quite as much a factor as having parents who obviously are involved and invested in their child's welfare and education, but still a factor.

Really? You can almost guarantee that it's a factor?

Link to studies that say the lack of watching TV helps you get into better schools, or something along those lines. Why not use the parental controls that all cable boxes have to you know, control what and when your kids can watch?

Why, when he can just not have TVs in his house? It would eliminate the need for him to micro-manage his kids, and the family unit as a whole benefits. Without TV, you're forced to interact as a family (a novel idea, I know) and use your brain for entertainment. Read, board games, running around outside, etc. Yes, you can do all of those things with a TV in the house, but most don't because the TV is 'easier'.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

your kid will get into Ivy league, then achieve a 1.0 GPA the first semester because they have 18 years of TV to catch up on

 

[dbk]

Just get the TV on the day he leaves. Thanks son!

 

[Poulsonator]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
your kid will get into Ivy league, then achieve a 1.0 GPA the first semester because they have 18 years of TV to catch up on

And that's absolutely possible as well. Kids get that first taste of freedom and it's on.

Todd Marinovich is the best example, and that's both a funny and tragic story.

Kaieye, I am in no way saying your kids will be like this, just rolling with the thread.

 

[Chryso]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Imp
Not sure if I'm proof or counter-proof, so here are the facts. I spend every minute of my free time, when I'm not outside, infront of the TV, even if I'm at my computer. I did over 90% of all my school work and studying from grade school to college infront of the TV. Somehow I managed to graduate with a civil engineering degree being ranked #10 out of 60-ish in my last semester at one of the best schools in my country (ranked in top 5, usually #3 or higher).

I'm sure having no TV helped by not having a possible distraction in the house. But what happens when you ship him out to college? Pull away the chains, suddenly he has the freedom to do anything he wants. I hope he has enough discipline in himself to do it.

What college kid that's been in a repressed enviornment (Catholic school girls, overbearing parents that ban (insert thing here), etc), get into college and 90% will go party their ass off and end up failing out of college.

And you have proof of this?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Don't need cable to have a big screen tv. Antenna for over the air HD and netflix is still great entertainment.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
So he's applying for an ivy league school because you don't have a TV?

....

I can almost guarantee to you that it's a factor. Not quite as much a factor as having parents who obviously are involved and invested in their child's welfare and education, but still a factor.

Really? You can almost guarantee that it's a factor?

Link to studies that say the lack of watching TV helps you get into better schools, or something along those lines. Why not use the parental controls that all cable boxes have to you know, control what and when your kids can watch?

Why, when he can just not have TVs in his house? It would eliminate the need for him to micro-manage his kids, and the family unit as a whole benefits. Without TV, you're forced to interact as a family (a novel idea, I know) and use your brain for entertainment. Read, board games, running around outside, etc. Yes, you can do all of those things with a TV in the house, but most don't because the TV is 'easier'.

Seeing as how growing up we had cable TV, cable internet in mid 90's (we never used dial up, and always had broadband), got a PS2 the first xmas it came out to replace my PS that was also in my room, had a computer in my room at 14, etc.

Guess what? I always had a book on my night stand and read 6 out of 7 nights a week before bed, we had family dinner every night possible (was almost every night, except when I had soccer practice or something else came up. It ended up being about 5 nights a week) in the kitchen and bonded as a family, we had family game nights and played games usually twice a month (games of Risk would take a few days generally), parents forced me to go outside and do stuff, we went on hikes every weekend (local metroparks we hiked and got badges for hiking them), went on bike rides in the summer, the list could go on for a while. All that while we had cable internet, and cable tv in the house?

Maybe the issue lies in the parenting of the child (or lack there of, because it's "easier" to not have a tv in the house), then on the tv.

 

[CRXican]

Parents who get all wacky about TV crack me up.

The neighbor kids down the street weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons or Married with children. Two boys and two girls.

Both girls moved out of the house early, at least one is a lesbo. Neither son is college educated and at least one does manual labor.

No TV saved them all!!!

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Chryso

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Imp
Not sure if I'm proof or counter-proof, so here are the facts. I spend every minute of my free time, when I'm not outside, infront of the TV, even if I'm at my computer. I did over 90% of all my school work and studying from grade school to college infront of the TV. Somehow I managed to graduate with a civil engineering degree being ranked #10 out of 60-ish in my last semester at one of the best schools in my country (ranked in top 5, usually #3 or higher).

I'm sure having no TV helped by not having a possible distraction in the house. But what happens when you ship him out to college? Pull away the chains, suddenly he has the freedom to do anything he wants. I hope he has enough discipline in himself to do it.

What college kid that's been in a repressed enviornment (Catholic school girls, overbearing parents that ban (insert thing here), etc), get into college and 90% will go party their ass off and end up failing out of college.

And you have proof of this?

Okay so I exaggerated a bit, but it happens quite often where children that were repressed some how get a taste of "freedom" in college and go wild. I know a lot of kids who it happened to. True not every one of them, but my point simply was repressing your child in some form can be very detrimental.

I hope the OPs kid gets into whatever school they applied at, do well, and don't fail out. It wouldn't be an uncommon story though that OP's kid went to college and ended up failing out because of being "free" to do whatever. Obviously nobody can say what will happen, but both situations are possible outcomes.

edit: Since the OP believes that the TV is the reason his kid was able to apply at an Ivy League school, my proof is that I believe that kids taste freedom and go wild.

Originally posted by: CRXican
Parents who get all wacky about TV crack me up.

The neighbor kids down the street weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons or Married with children. Two boys and two girls.

Both girls moved out of the house early, at least one is a lesbo. Neither son is college educated and at least one does manual labor.

No TV saved them all!!!

I had neighborhood friends like this as well, but it wasn't just TV that made them screwy in the head (the parents wouldn't let them outside the yard at 14 for example...).