With four children under the age of 10, turning off the television for a week might sound like a feat as insurmountable as scaling Mount Everest.
The Brennecke Family of Lake Orion recently completed the challenge, turning off the four television sets in their home for the week of April 25-May 1, National TV-Turnoff Week.
‘The school sent home a letter telling us about it,? said Jessica Brennecke, who with husband Andrew, has four children. ‘We just wanted to see if we could do it.?
The Brennecke family attends Lake Orion United Methodist Church, where they also learned more about TV Turnoff Week.
‘We were with a group of people at church, and we asked if anyone was doing it,? said Andrew. ‘They all looked at us like we were crazy.?
The Brenneckes have four children: Jackson, 8, a student at Paint Creek Elementary; Lauren, 6, a student at Paint Creek; Christopher, 2 1/2; and baby Megann, six months.
Jackson said he usually watches a lot of cartoons, like Teen Titans, Batman and Pokemon, as well as shows on Animal Planet.
‘I like The Winks,? said Lauren.
Jessica said the kids usually watch five-six hours of television a week, mostly on the weekends.
That’s a relatively low figure compared to the rest of America, as tvturnoff.org says the average US home has the TV on seven hours and 40 minutes a day.
‘Andrew and I usually watch in the evenings after the kids go to bed,? she said. ‘Probably 10-12 hours a week.?
According to TV-Turnoff’s website, the average American watches over four hours a day of television.
‘We watch it at night as a way to unwind,? Andrew said.
‘I usually put a video on in the morning when the kids are getting ready for school…(not being able to do that) was the hardest part,? said Jessica.
Jackson’s Gameboy was also confiscated for the week, and as an alternative he said he did science projects and played sports.
‘I played basketball and with my rocket toys,? he said.
Lauren said she enjoyed playing with friends, as well as cards and other games with her mom and brother.
‘I’m bored with TV now,? Lauren said.
Jackson said all the playing he did outside during the week helped him work up a healthy appetite.
‘Now I’m more hungry,? he explained.
According to Jessica, the family didn’t really do anything different other than not watching TV.
‘We didn’t do anymore cleaning than usual,? she said. ‘We read more books, that was probably the only thing different.?
Andrew said the only thing he really missed about not having the TV was watching basketball games.
‘The Pistons are in the playoffs,? he said. ‘I’m a big fan.?
Jessica missed The Amazing Race. Lauren said she didn’t miss anything about TV, but Jackson admitted that he did.
Lauren said instead of watching TV, she thinks she’ll choose to go outside and play instead.
‘When the weather is nice, the kids will want to go outside instead,? Jessica said.
The family is already planning to participate again next year.
‘I think we’ll do it again,? said Jessica.