The "Idiot Box" Revisited - My Early Years

When I was very young, it was a big deal to watch TV with my parents in the evenings. The set didn't come on at all during the day, before 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, except for Saturday cartoons.

I usually would stretch out on the floor and read while they watched the news or other programs. Now and then, there would be something specifically for "us kids" and I'd pay more attention to what was on the screen.

Of course, as soon as I started going to school, the programs we watched were more geared toward educating us -- except for programs my dad wanted to see. Those, however, were just as interesting to ME.

I don't recall watching the news that much when I was a little girl; the house rule was to finish dinner before going into the living room to watch TV. The set was placed so my dad had a clear view to it from HIS seat at the dinner table, but none of the rest of us could see it from the kitchen.

Right after the evening meal, Dad would go sit in "his" easy chair to watch TV, Mom would make a drink for the two of them and join him in the living room. She'd usually sit on the sofa with a book to read while she glanced up at the set now and then. My sister and I had to clear the table and do the dishes before we could come watch TV. (She is six years older, so she washed while I "got" to dry them.)

Being older, she had homework to do, next. This had to be completed on "school nights" -- except for Fridays. That homework could wait until Sunday night.... every other night, she'd work on it at the kitchen table, before watching TV. She would tell me, "Just you wait 'til YOU have homework, too!"

Her words sounded ominous, but I didn't understand the tone until I was further along in school and had homework of my own. Meanwhile, I was free to go outside and play, or join my parents in the living room -- to read, or watch TV with them, or play quietly with my toys.

There really wasn't much geared towards kids in those days, except for cartoons on Saturdays, or a few kiddie shows such as The Mickey Mouse Club, Captain Kangaroo, or Beany & Cecil which I didn't start watching until I was almost "too old" for them.... Evenings were for grown-ups, it seemed, and being precocious, I wanted to participate in their interests. Except for Sunday evenings -- which everyone enjoyed!

As a little kid, for me, the best part about watching TV was REALLY the opportunity to enjoy the experience of doing something with my parents. Of course, there weren't any remote controls back then; it was MY job to change the channels whenever necessary.

Of course, there were many, many more programs we enjoyed from 1953-1963; I'll continue to add to these lists as I find the URLs to websites to feature them. (If anyone finds sites for the ones I don't have linked, PLEASE share them with me!)

Forward to my teen years....

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