A TV In Her Room?

Growing up, the ultimate thing to have was a TV in your bedroom. The main reason for this was economic - it was an indicator that your parents were so well off that thy could afford the indulgence of not just one but multiple televisions. The other factor was one of control and independence, as having a TV in your room gave you unilateral control over what you watched.

A couple of weeks ago, Funsize asked about getting a TV in her room. She's not getting a TV in her room.

In fact, it's very likely that Funsize will never have a TV, as such, in her bedroom. Because, quite simply, the whole notion is just obsolete these days.

Right now, Funsize has a tablet of her own. This in itself is a rather ludicrous thing for a five-year-old to have - it's way more powerful than she needs, and frankly is a crazy indulgence. And yet, we've found that it is insanely useful especially on long journeys, such that not only do we not at all regret the purchase, but it's likely Surprise! will be getting one fairly soon.

(The other thing, of course, is that Funsize won't remain five-years-old, and although the technology will age and become less useful with time, at the power level of the thing it should remain good enough for a good long time. So it's a crazy indulgence that becomes less crazy as time goes on.)

And there will come a point, probably sooner than I'm really comfortable with, that she will benefit from having a laptop of her own - initially for homework, of course, but the reality is that these things have a great many uses.

And unlike when I was growing up, these days there is no meaningful distinction between a TV and a laptop, or even a tablet - via the magic of wi-fi and some carefully selected apps, those devices can watch anything that's available on our TV, and vastly more than I ever had access to.

I think there is, still, just about, justification for having a dedicated family TV. I don't think there's any real justification for having a TV as such in a bedroom - too many other devices can do the key things well enough to make it worthwhile.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong!