This year Pete started middle school, and Katie Rose started high school. Both have new and larger challenging workloads between homework, band, and sports, and I suggested that we institute a no-TV-on-weeknights policy for the kids to help them balance priorities. Then Debbie had the crazy idea that we should set some kind of “example” and not watch any ourselves, thereby leaving more time to read and (cue ominous music) talk. I reluctantly agreed, and have reluctantly, mostly followed the rule. Given my disinclination to discourse, I have gotten a lot of reading done, albeit sometimes with frequent interruptions. Not coincidental to the interruptions, Debbie started reading, but not enjoying, The Brothers Karamazov.
Some consequences of this change:
- With the kids going to bed later now, whatever we watch on weekends usually must be PG-13 or thereabouts, which means the DVD of Russell Crowe’s “Robin Hood” has been sitting by the TV for 4 weeks. Thus, we are now paying Netflix about $7.99 (and counting) per DVD with their latest change in pricing. And we are getting less value from the Instant Watching side.
- I have read three books in the last three weeks (Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett; Submarine, by Joe Dunthorne; Sons of Texas, by Elmer Kelton). All were good, but I liked the Kelton book best.
- When I went to the library to get the first three books, Pete was with me, and again when I went to return those and get three more yesterday after his soccer practice. Last time I asked if he wanted to get a book, and he declined. This time, unprompted by me, he was at the catalog terminal and asked me how to spell “Fahrenheit.” I asked if he was looking for Fahrenheit 451 [by Ray Bradbury], and he was. So we found it, checked it out, and he started reading it on the way home. To Debbie’s credit, that example idea looks like it is working.