Photocredit: bluemodern

A family room makeover in a design magazine recently caught my eye. The room included two identical TVs on one wall (with a fireplace between). The caption explained that the intention was for two people to watch TV “together,” each  using a separate screen and headphones.

I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it embraced reality: Cable television has become so diverse and specialized that each family member finds programming developed specifically for their interests (or age group). On the other hand, it’s sort of sad to think of two people, sprawled out on the couch with headphones. Are they really doing something together? I think not. But then, isn’t it better than being in separate rooms?

Now that my kids have minds of their own, it’s increasingly difficult to find TV programs or even movies that interest all four of us. We have three TVs, and I stubbornly refuse to think the solution is put all three into action simultaneously. We have two desktop computers and a laptop, and some days, those are all firing simultaneously. We have kids fighting over whose turn it is to pick the show, while parents secretly sulk because they rarely get a chance to watch the news. Even family movie night puts us in a bit of a pickle because few movies interest (or are even appropriate for) everybody. (Having a six-year age spread exacerbates the problem.)

Compromise is an important life skill. And I’d like to think my kids (and even my husband and I) are learning something by trying to find something we can all watch together. Even if it’s as simple an exercise as choosing between Inkheart and Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.