Marshmallow Monday

We killed the television, sort of, about two weeks ago, when I got sick and tired of fighting with Hannah about turning it off and, this time, Jane got sick and tired of it, too.  Hannah loves television – she loves story, really, and television combines story with all those nifty moving pictures and a heavy dose of teen culture.  But she finds it almost viscerally impossible to turn it off.  I’ve tried all the techniques I know of: 

1)  advance warning (“After this show, we’re turning it off.  In five minutes, we’re turning it off.  One minute, and we’re turning it off.”);

2)  rational talks (“When I ask you to turn it off, I need you to do it without arguing.”);

3)  threats (“It goes off now or no TV tomorrow.);

4)  doing it myself, usually precipitating fury or tears.  Or both. 

But television is masterful at hooking its audience, and the Disney Channel, her favorite, is especially so.  “More to come” means a few seconds of credits from the last show, leading directly into the opening sequence of the next show.  Ads are strategically placed so as not to interrupt the transition from one program to another.  It’s brilliant, really, in an evil sort of way.

But one flying remote too many, and the television is now off.  OFF.  It was Jane who did it, finally, as it had to be, since she loves television nearly as much as Hannah, although she leans more toward PBS and Glee than Disney.   We have unplugged the cable (note:  not cancelled) which has the effect of killing all reception.  The television is still available for videos on Friday night, when we like to eat pizza and watch a movie together.  And Hannah can watch a movie on Saturday and Sunday, should she choose to do so, which, of course, she does.

Once the TV was off, it became immediately obvious that we would need to come up with some alternate activities, so that we wouldn’t simply move from arguing about television (with it on) to arguing about television (with it off). 

On the first Monday of the first televisionless week, Jane suggested that we build a fire in the fireplace after dinner. 

“And roast marshmallows!” said Hannah, who might just love roasted marshmallows more than The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 

And in this way, Marshmallow Monday was born.  It’s followed, for those who might be wondering, by Too Much Fun Tuesday (which, last week, included a dance party in the basement to Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs, on a scratched CD, which caused random stuttering in the music, making it, at peak volume, almost rap-like) and Reading Wednesday. 

Thursday’s still up for grabs.