Unplugged

I read in the paper this weekend that our local basic cable was going up from $39 a month to $43. Basic cable! Now you know I am all for saving money, and even $39 a month for the crap that streams into our house via that box was bugging me. This latest increase was the last straw. I called Comcast this morning and cancelled our cable. Completely. Didn't take their offer to discount my bill by $10 for the next two months while I thought about it. (Hint for those of you continuing with cable - make a quick $20 by calling and threatening to cancel; feel free to forward 5 bucks to me for the hint.)
We didn't watch much TV anyway. MistErations and I watch Survivor when it's on, but we have found we can get CBS with rabbit ears. PreschoolErations and ToddlErations watch PBS and Nick Jr, but not without a heaping serving of guilt for me. (Plus we get a grainy, staticky version of PBS if needed. Don't worry honey, Elmo is just playing in the snow.)
NPR had a story earlier in the Spring about a study finding that for every hour of television a child watches per day, his or her likelihood of developing ADD increases by 10%. That adds up too quickly for my comfort. TurnOffYourTV.com has some excellent links to articles and information about the effects that television, and its abundant, incessant advertising, have on children.
I feel great about it. Liberated. Unplugged. So Laura Ingalls Wilder.