First of all, I have to clarify that I have gone to bed at 8 p.m. maybe one time in my entire adult life, and I generally average going to bed around 10-10:30. Truthfully, I would love to be in bed by 9:30 every night, but that doesn't happen often. I think Aaron has a warped view of what time I really go to bed because he's been on set for so many nights for so long.
So, no, we don't have a TV in our bedroom, and yes, I prefer it that way. I would stay awake every night just to see what was going on on the screen if we had a TV. Growing up, my parents set the sleep timer every night on their TV, and I have read several articles linking it to sleep debt, sickness, etc. I don't know if that's true, as both of my parents never showed those signs, but I'm willing to bet it is. I don't even like having my cell phone in my room... it's that distracting to me.
And yet, sometimes I get that urge to have a TV in our room. Granted, we have three channels, so our options would be limited to our antenna, but I would like to spend that time with Aaron, even if it means watching the NBA finals or hockey. I feel like our time together is so limited as it is, and I hate sacrificing time together, even if it's just being in separate rooms. Aaron always says that I should just stay awake, and this is pretty funny to both of us... as he and my former roommates can attest to, I'm practically narcoleptic past 10 p.m., and I end up in a really bad mood if I fall asleep on our really uncomfortable couch.
I think it's funny that Aaron said he likes having a TV in his bedroom when he stays in hotels. I'm not sure if he had a TV in his bedroom growing up, but I did. If you know my family and parents at all, this probably shocks you (they were the strictest parents EVER!), but they won a blue RCA TV at a silent auction and gave it to me for my birthday. Totally not expected and not something I really even wanted, but it was blue and seemed really cool at the time. Truth be told, I watched that TV about 10 times over the course of high school. I absolutely never watched it while I was trying to fall asleep, because having that TV on was the most obnoxious thing possible when I was trying to sleep. I'd fall half asleep and then wake up, startled by noise, so I just decided it'd be better off to get rid of the thing.
Another aspect to this might be that my family is not much of a TV watching family, whereas Aaron's is. This has been a very different experience for us, as I feel like watching TV is a waste of time, but Aaron doesn't necessarily. Maybe it's the fact that, growing up in the Midwest, there wasn't a whole lot to do outside in the middle of winter, so they watched TV or movies. I'm not sure, and I'm also not sure I agree with that. But, for us and our marriage, I think not having unlimited access (aka having only three channels) has been very helpful in that aspect.
But one thing I really would like? Having a TV to watch in the morning while getting ready for work. I always loved going in my parents' room in the morning and listening to the news and Imus in the Morning with my dad. Yes, he watched Imus...
Ultimately, I don't know where I stand on the TV issue. Maybe the answer is to get better living room furniture so we can both actually relax and watch TV and movies in the living room at the same time instead.
What do you guys think? TV in the bedroom...yea or nay? Why?
Coming up next week: the great thunderstorm/white noise machine debate of 2010-2011...
2 comments:
We had this same debate!! I didn't want one in our room. I didn't want the distraction. I never had one in my room growing up, so it was easy for me to not want it. But Ryan did win this battle. There are days where I wish we didn't have one in our room, other's I am thankful. Like when I am sick, or when I just sprained my knee and was bed ridden. I couldn't stand it if I didn't have the tv. But for Ryan it's his way of winding down, I guess it goes with the profession. He compares it to me reading, not sure I agree, but I do know how important it is to him to be able to watch the news at any given time. But like you, we only have basic cable, like 4 or 5 channels! :) It helps control the tv watching. Good luck on your debate! :)
We don't have a TV in our room - we decided not to put one in there because we didn't want it to be a distraction. Plus, we sleep on different schedules. Sometimes, though, we'll bring the laptop upstairs and watch Netflix or something on it. So, I guess that's a compromise? :)
Post a Comment