If you’re a parent, especially of teens and pre-teens, among the many travails with which you have to contend is the amount of time your kids spend zoned out on cable TV.
Some of the offerings on today’s cable networks, the proliferation of mindless reality shows for example, make me agonize over the fate of humanity in general.
But there is a cure for this, you know. You can wean yourself from cable TV, and for that matter, even some of the less than stellar offerings on live network TV, and we have the Internet to thank for it (another thing you also need to control your children’s access to, but that’s another subject).
For now, let’s talk about the viewing alternatives to cable—the streaming services that have multiplied like a fluffle of fertile rabbits.
I have my daughter to thank for this momentous discovery. After quitting her job in the pharmaceutical industry and deciding to be a fulltime stay-at-home mom, she committed to raising her children in a nurturing, positive environment. That included limitations on time spent online, and stern control of TV watching time.
To ensure that the TV they did watch met her stringent standards, she got rid of cable and went to streaming services only, and, as I learned from spending a year in her household after my house burned down, there are many that cater to all entertainment and educational preferences. Some are accessed through streaming devices, while others can be viewed on smart TVs or computers directly from their web sites.
Other than the cost of purchasing the streaming device, and/or a smart TV, the only other cost is for Internet service. While high-speed Internet is pricey, it’s nothing compared to the packages companies charge for Internet, Cable, and telephone.
We ditched our cable service entirely, signed up for one of those budget cell phone plans and Internet only. Since recently almost all televisions are smart TVs, and we had to buy new ones anyway, there was that investment. And, that’s it.
I’ve been off cable since March 2021, and I do not miss it. I especially don’t miss the two hundred dollar plus per month bill from the cable company. My Internet charge is about a third of that, even with the cost of the budget cell phone service.
In addition to all that, I have access to a wide range of program offerings in multiple languages without having to pay extra as we did with cable. So, I can watch my favorite old Sci-Fi movies and educational programs and my significant other can binge on Korean and Chinese soap operas and historical epics to our hearts’ content.
When the grandchildren visit us, we can let them watch ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Dora the Explorer.’ And they even like some of my ‘True History’ channel programs.
Bottom line: you don’t have to be dependent on the cable TV companies for your entertainment, or subject to their constant inclusion of unexplained fees or premium charges.
There is, believe it or not, life without cable TV. Stream on. | NWI
