TV holding families together?!
I never thought I'd say this, but it's true! Like all amazing inventions and tools, the TV can be the biggest addiction and life-sapping box there is, OR it can be the magnet that gives your family some quality time together.
Yup you read it right, I said quality time and TV in the same sentence.
As someone who has always been totally irritated at the sight of someone just zoned out in front of a TV, watching anything that flashes on it, including noise, this is one hell of an admission!
I realized this in bits and pieces. My husband & I have some TV serials that we both enjoy & some that 1 of us likes a little more than the other. In the middle of a work week chocablock with long working hours, university in the evening, spending time with the kids, watching a serial together before we conk out becomes a little oasis of 'us' time. Commenting on the production values of the series, laughing together or predicting what comes next, it's our little bubble in time.
Some time back my daughters leapt into our bed and started watching a serial I was watching (not hubby's cup of tea). I told them I wasn't sure they would like it and they replied, "we just want to watch with you". And as the 3 of us cuddled under the covers and giggled together, commenting on the heroine's antics, I realised THAT was all they actually wanted. That moment of togetherness. Then their dad joined us and we introduced them to another serial that has just started and that we enjoy. Thumbs up all around! We loved the experience so much, we quickly identified other serials we can watch together. They are now a weekly family slot that we all look forward to. The spin off flows into the rest of the week as the references and inside jokes permeate everyday conversations. It even helps us when we play dumb charades as a team!!
The best part is that every member compromises on their usual taste, just to share the moment with everyone else. My poor husband has laboured through some really chick-flicky series, while I manfully watched a lot of blood and gore, and the girls will watch anything if its with us. At the end, its not about what you're watching, its about who you watch it with, and the way that time together becomes another precious memory in an all-too fleeting time together.
My mum who lives with us, and my maid, who also lives with us, reiterate this point.
At dinner the other night, my mum said "was that movie based on a true story? Because we (the maid & her) were debating on how it could have happened, & she said it can't be true & I said it was..." Everyone chipped in with arguments in favour of and against. And as I sat back and watched, I realised that the TV had done it again. Brought 2 elderly women, 2 teenage girls and both of us, into a shared moment of togetherness. Long after it had been turned off.
Yup you read it right, I said quality time and TV in the same sentence.
As someone who has always been totally irritated at the sight of someone just zoned out in front of a TV, watching anything that flashes on it, including noise, this is one hell of an admission!
I realized this in bits and pieces. My husband & I have some TV serials that we both enjoy & some that 1 of us likes a little more than the other. In the middle of a work week chocablock with long working hours, university in the evening, spending time with the kids, watching a serial together before we conk out becomes a little oasis of 'us' time. Commenting on the production values of the series, laughing together or predicting what comes next, it's our little bubble in time.
Some time back my daughters leapt into our bed and started watching a serial I was watching (not hubby's cup of tea). I told them I wasn't sure they would like it and they replied, "we just want to watch with you". And as the 3 of us cuddled under the covers and giggled together, commenting on the heroine's antics, I realised THAT was all they actually wanted. That moment of togetherness. Then their dad joined us and we introduced them to another serial that has just started and that we enjoy. Thumbs up all around! We loved the experience so much, we quickly identified other serials we can watch together. They are now a weekly family slot that we all look forward to. The spin off flows into the rest of the week as the references and inside jokes permeate everyday conversations. It even helps us when we play dumb charades as a team!!
The best part is that every member compromises on their usual taste, just to share the moment with everyone else. My poor husband has laboured through some really chick-flicky series, while I manfully watched a lot of blood and gore, and the girls will watch anything if its with us. At the end, its not about what you're watching, its about who you watch it with, and the way that time together becomes another precious memory in an all-too fleeting time together.
My mum who lives with us, and my maid, who also lives with us, reiterate this point.
At dinner the other night, my mum said "was that movie based on a true story? Because we (the maid & her) were debating on how it could have happened, & she said it can't be true & I said it was..." Everyone chipped in with arguments in favour of and against. And as I sat back and watched, I realised that the TV had done it again. Brought 2 elderly women, 2 teenage girls and both of us, into a shared moment of togetherness. Long after it had been turned off.
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