Throw the TV

This is a great song that I remember from my childhood. I have no idea if it's the same singer or not. I can't even remember if we used to listen to it on a record, cassette, or the radio. But I do remember the chorus and I love it to this day.
Click here to see the video.

But Dad hasn't thrown the TV out the window and we have not only one TV but two. This has been a point of contention for oh, about 20 years. I would like to throw the TVs out the window. But the Good Doctor insists that there is value in seasonal athletic competitions on the tube. So, being the obedient and submissive wife that I am, we have a TV, yes, two actually. He also says he has to watch the news because pastors need to stay current. Well, I don't know if that's true or not but I sure hope his parishioners appreciate the fact that even though there may be contention in the home, their pastor does know who the president is.

I have been able to assert a small portion of feminine rule in the power these TVs hold in our home. First of all, we have never purchased a TV. Those that we have owned through the years have been handed down to us; from parents, and even from the estates of those who have gone before us. Yes, they are antiques by the time we receive them. So, flat screens may be in but the only thing flat on our TVs is the remote. Secondly, any TV in our home will not be the centerpiece of the living area. The living room where we entertain guests, does not house a TV. Back in the days when it did, the room arrangement actually had a chair in front of the TV that had to be removed when someone wanted to watch the thing (the TV, not the chair). Third, we don't have a myriad of cable channels; it's basic here. If your must-see sports team is not on the channels we receive, you might just have to play a table game with the rest of us. Fourth, the TV will never be on during the day, and unless there is a major sporting event that your father can't miss, it won't be on at night, either.

So imagine my chagrin to find that more and more doctor's offices are playing TVs in the waiting room. First it was the orthodontist and all of his "free" perks, one of which is the constantly running CNN channel. Don't let them fool you; it isn't free. It's been paid for by the King family and all their children who are missing adult teeth and who need major work to correct this problem. Then it was the oral surgeon's office (yes, when you are missing adult teeth you not only need orthodontic work to fill in those huge gaps, you also need to have baby teeth pulled to make the gaps that need to be filled in). Thankfully, we don't go to that office as often. Now, it's the eye doctor. Andrew had an appointment this week and as is customary, the whole flock traipsed in. Our entrance was just as the first strains of "Days of our Lives" were sounding.

Great. Not only is the TV on, but we are watching soap operas. Okay, I thought, I guess we'll have a lot to talk about on the way home. Well, it got worse. Within the first few minutes one of the women called the other a not-repeatable-in-the-King-home word. A few of the older kids heard it, I just sent out a, "We will not repeat that at home," reminder, and all was well. Then only half an hour later, the word came back. This time it was with emphasis, as in, "You're a -----, quite a -----." While contemplating how to solve this problem, and wondering if any of the children had picked up on it, my six year old said, "Mommy, what's 'quite a -----?"

Okay, time to change the channel. I suggested PBS. I'm sure all of the waiting room appreciated the fact that we were now watching a quilting show instead of their favorite soaps. But I learned a lot about how to make a quilt with half-hexagons. It was quite lovely. Now I just need to find the time to sew one up.