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AIBU

TV or not TV

(125 Posts)
paddyann54 Tue 28-Jun-22 17:28:26

My OH has decided he wants to put a TV on the wall in the sitting area of our kitchen.
I dont want it ,we've always had just one TV in the house because I dont like them around when we're eating or in bedrooms..our kids never felt deprived without one in their rooms .
He's not pleased that I dont want another TV ,I dont think we need one .there are only two of us here and we generally watch the same things or one of us will sit with a laptop while the other watches with input from the laptop user.
We have a large wallmounted smart TV in the living room why on earth do we need another?
Should I just give in and then find no conversation at meal times because we're glued to the screen? Am I being unreasonable ?

sodapop Wed 29-Jun-22 12:44:39

Think I would be more concerned about my husband buying a house without consulting me. Did you really not have any input in that decision Paddyann

Athenia Wed 29-Jun-22 13:16:56

I have no TV.
After recovering from 22 years of Complex PTSD that caused deep depression for six months of every year, I choose not to watch the news, and have no need of TV at all.

GoldenAge Wed 29-Jun-22 13:19:37

paddyann54 - personally I don't think you're being unreasonable. Your OH wants to make a change to your shared existence and therefore he needs to give a good rationale for doing so - can he do that, and even when he does you still have the right of veto. He can't simply impose this on you. The questions I would ask you are how much time does he actually spend in the kitchen, how much of an intrusion into your cooking would this make, when does he envisage turning it on. I wouldn't dream of allowing a TV in my kitchen as I'm the person who does the work in it and whilst we do have a dining table at one end, I don't agree with the idea of watching TV while sitting at the table eating a meal. I would ask his reasons and then ... reject them unless there are firm ground rules that don't interfere at all with your life - that said however, merely having the TV as a furniture item mounted on the wall would be an intrusion for me. Agree totally with H1954

Iwtwab12bow Wed 29-Jun-22 13:46:54

We do have 2 this. One in the sitting room and one in the conservatory. I find when the football is on DH can hide away and watch his sport. 2 are also very useful for the grandchildren as they don't like the same programmes as us.

Alioop Wed 29-Jun-22 14:03:19

I have a small TV in the kitchen, but it has a sofa there too and I spend more time in there during the day in the summer as it leads out to the garden. I actually have my CD player there too, I'm still old school with my music ?

DC64 Wed 29-Jun-22 14:04:38

Lol - your daughter might be right - those DH can be quite sneaky when they want to be … ?

lizzypopbottle Wed 29-Jun-22 14:14:39

My son has every electronic device in his room and I hardly see him, other than mealtimes! No TV in the kitchen. That's fine. We used to watch TV before Covid but have got right out of the habit. I've never watched a 'box set' and don't subscribe to any streaming service....hang on...Amazon Prime Video! Recently I've watched BBC1's The Great British Sewing Bee once a week. It's the final tonight so nothing to watch, from tomorrow. I'm about to cancel my Sky subscription. So, the TV is more or less redundant but we'll hang on to it in case we want to watch a freeview channel in the future, though it seems unlikely. I used to watch YouTube on the bigger screen via my Chromecast but I use my 10" kindle fire for that nowadays and for if I watch prime video, mostly Jane Austen nostalgia trips.
If the TV stops working, I won't replace it.

Mamma66 Wed 29-Jun-22 14:19:28

Perhaps you are like me and don’t like the aesthetics of a large TV screen as much as worrying about the possibility of a TV killing conversation?

If this is the case, there is a perfect solution, we have two Samsung the Frame TV; one in the living room and one in the snug. When they’re turned off you can select artwork or photos to appear. They are a bit pricy, but so very much nicer than an ugly black screen.

Mamma66 Wed 29-Jun-22 14:22:53

Whoops! Ignore the photo of a positive covid test and blank pay slip. I don’t know how to delete the post and try again.

LovelyLady Wed 29-Jun-22 14:33:17

We have one in each room.
It’s good we can watch different programmes and we have more to talk about.
Great for us!!

HousePlantQueen Wed 29-Jun-22 14:39:24

We have a small one on the wall in the kitchen diner, we usually watch Breakfast news and such in the morning.

EmilyHarburn Wed 29-Jun-22 14:41:46

It seems that a second TV may be desirable but not in the kitchen or the bedroom.

Scotsmum Wed 29-Jun-22 14:44:54

We have 2 tvs for the 2 of us and it works out well.
One is in the sitting room and is connected to sky. It’s at the far end of the room.
It’s mainly me who watches programmes of my choosing on sky arts, BBC 4 etc. Comfy and quiet

The other is in the dining area which has an armchair and side table for DH to channel hop to his hearts content at a closer distance and a louder volume than I can cope with. Also a football space. I often hear him roaring with laughter as he finds comedy clips on Tik tok or YouTube.
Very occasionally we join together for something - it’s like having a date!
It’s very rare that the dining room one is one while we eat. In any case it never gets turned on before 6 or 7pm and we eat our main meals at lunchtime, in the conservatory off the kitchen.
I would absolutely hate to have one in the kitchen- it’s minute and no space, and none in the bedrooms - very bad for sleep hygiene seemingly.
Compromise will be needed, and discussion. Good luck!

LadyStardust Wed 29-Jun-22 14:57:32

What is wrong with watching tv while having a meal! Why is it so compulsory to talk when eating? I've never got this at all. We have a tv in every room in the house except the bathroom. They are not always on of course! But our dining area has a fairly large tv that is on at mealtimes. We do have the rest of the day to talk to each other! (with our mouths empty) smile

Missiseff Wed 29-Jun-22 15:01:50

I'd definitely have one if my kitchen was big enough

icanhandthemback Wed 29-Jun-22 15:03:17

Without knowing the reasons of why your husband has suddenly decided that he wants a tv in a previously tv-less area, it is difficult to say if you are being unreasonable. Presumably he has his reasons which he is willing to divulge to you. Is there a way of compromising by agreeing that you have the tv but it isn't on during mealtimes?

Scotsmum Wed 29-Jun-22 15:09:13

Point taken. Each to their own.
Personally if I have just spent quite some time preparing a meal and serving it, it would be great if the people eating it actually showed that they knew what they were eating. And not just mindlessly shovelling it in while fixated on a screen. Which can be on at all other times when not eating together and paying each other attention.

welbeck Wed 29-Jun-22 15:10:42

You are being unreasonable.

GreyKnitter Wed 29-Jun-22 15:15:05

We have a tv in our lounge, one in our bedroom - seldom watched unless one of us is poorly - and one in the kitchen where we eat. We use the kitchen if we are cooking etc and often when we eat as it’s news time at 6ish and we like to listen to the news. Not sure we’d talk any more if we didn’t have a tv in the kitchen - there’s only so much you can say to someone you’re with all day every day! We do discuss the news as items are broadcast - sometimes our meal even runs into The One Show or tennis. I’m sure everyone has their own ideas/opinions on tv in the kitchen and unfortunate yours and your husbands don’t coincide.

GrauntyHelen Wed 29-Jun-22 15:32:15

You've had things your way for years time to have it his way Otherwise YABU

Saggi Wed 29-Jun-22 15:41:56

We have a smart tv in sitting room and I have one in my bedroom….. to which I retreat at about 8 in evening, as my husband is housebound , and during football season watches wall to wall sport- no more in house . Although one day my husband will become bedridden, and we’ll put one in his bedroom as well! I’m not a fan of tv…. but it’s my husbands lifeline!

twinnytwin Wed 29-Jun-22 15:56:42

We're just having our kitchen/dining room revamped into one large room and plan on having a large TV in there - Samsung Frame 55". We have a 65" TV in the lounge and a TV in the bedroom which is part of the bed so hidden most of the time. This is rarely used though, except when I'm doing makeup and hair. I love to keep up with the news. In my sewing room, I use my large pc screen to view TV channels during the day. DH only watches TV in the lounge with me at night and we'll have the kitchen TV on when we eat. We still have lots of chats and enjoy each other's company and don't feel the TVs intrude on our lives at all. We also have iPads and mobile phones. I think all the technology enhance our lives rather than spoil them.

Bijou Wed 29-Jun-22 16:11:25

Because I am housebound and nor active I have two TVs one in the living room and one in the dining room just because I get fed up with sitting in the same room.

LauraNorderr Wed 29-Jun-22 16:26:01

We have a small wall tv in the kitchen, I can sit and enjoy the tennis while sticking my legs out of the patio doors to get them tanned. If I was in the sitting room I’d have to climb up to get my legs out of the window.

paddyann54 Wed 29-Jun-22 16:26:33

sodapop no input ,he put a deposit on it one Sunday while out for a run.We had been looking for a bigger house and he thought this would be ideal,100 yards from the school ,surrounded by green spaces ,on a bus route near a shop ,a mile from the town centre ....On paper it was perfect but I hated it when we moved in.Once we'd reconfigured the rooms and extended it I was fine .We do know each other excepionally well so he didn't think it was a risky thing to do.
He buys cars too without saying .I am in all honesty the most laid back person you could meet so nothing really bothers me .We can get through anything ...even this TV .I did get used to the 75" monstrosity quite quickly.Easier than the 3D one he brought home a few years ago ...lol.The GC and my MIL loved it and watching them ducking when things seemed to come out of the screen was hilarious.
I'm hoping Miss Paddy is right and its really a fish tank