TV Etiquette

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A friend and I were discussing how "TV etiquette" was treated in our families, growing up- she grew up in a TV-on-all-the-time household, where conversations were shushed in favor of whatever was being watched.

My family, on the other hand, while we had a television most of the time, it was usually controlled by my father (he hated soap operas and was not a big fan of TV until late in his life). He took the view that human conversation and books should come first. If he was in a bad mood dinner was often in silence. We never had the TV on during dinner (both mom and dad made that rule). TV was allowed after dinner was eaten, dishes and homework done. Sometimes we got to watch The Mouseketeers or American Bandstand before dinner, but never during dinner. On weekends we sometimes watched something like Ed Sullivan or Ted Mack’s Amateur hour.

Later, as a teen, my mom and stepdad, me, and older brother watched some shows together after the younger ones were in bed.

This all came up when I was telling friend about a visit at my home from relatives I hadn’t seen in a long time. In the midst of catch-up conversation, they asked me to turn on the golf tournament. I did, but since they were on their way to the airport I remember thinking “the airport has televisions”.:rolleyes:

What are your ideas about TV Etiquette during meals or when you have guests or you are a guest in someone else’s home?
 

Loosey said:
Our tv is mostly off, and always off when we have guests. I think some people keep it running all the time for background noise, but I prefer quiet.
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I often have TV on as background or to listen while I'm doing something. But if I have company I prefer personal interaction, unless they came to watch something as a party-type thing.
 

My TV is on from the time I quit work until I get up in the morning. Then, it stays on until I go to work again. When there's company, I turn it off, too. If my guests want to watch something while here, I will put it on for them.

Since it's just me and my grandson, we watch it during meals which we don't share too often due to our working hours, but we enjoy commenting on what we're watching.
 
Growing up (we didn't even GET TV until I was in about the 5th grade), TV was off during meals. NO eating in front of the TV, with one exception -- when Walt Disney Presents had something special on on Sunday nights, we got out the TV trays and ate in the living room. Woe betide anyone who spilled anything. My parents (mostly my mother, I guess, because my dad wasn't a big fan of TV anyway) controlled the channels. Mom liked mysteries, like Perry Mason and Mr. District Attorney, for instance, so I grew to like them, too. TV wasn't on all the time (I mean it really wasn't on the air, even, until late in the day) and it wasn't turned on unless there was something we wanted to watch. AND, the BIG ONE, no TV until the supper dishes were done and the kitchen cleaned up, which encouraged us not to dawdle when helping mom in the kitchen.

I hid in my room during Lawrence Welk (one of Mom's favorites) and Liberace's show.

Nowdays, there is just me, and I don't even have cable TV anymore, but I have a Roku and watch netflix and a couple others. Sometimes I have it on just for company and am not really watching it at all. I do have my kitchen TV on when I'm putzing in the kitchen. For some reason, I've never been able to just sit and watch TV -- I have to be doing something else, too, like crocheting, mending (ironing before I gave it up forever - HA), going on my treadmill or something like that. Can't just sit there.
 
Since I've lived alone my adult life I control the TV. It's usually on just for the noise even if I'm not paying attention to it.

Growing up we watched what my mother wanted. She controlled the TV. I don't know what age I was when we got a small black and white TV. Watching it was limited and only with permission. Probably why mine is on all the time.
 
My roomie runs the TV 24/7, even if she's not in the room.

Once in a while I'll run the TV for background noise.

Growing up we had the TV-trays-on-Sundays-for-Walt-Disney as well, usually while my aunts and uncle were visiting. My Dad was busy working his plumbing business, so he wasn't a big fan. Mom watched the early soaps.

Me? Saturday morning cartoons were my Nirvana.
 
Growing up we never had the TV on while we were eating. Now, if I have company over the TV will be off, unless it's my husband's friend coming over to watch a big football game. I remember my sister telling me about an argument at her home when she hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for a few friends and family. The guys wanted to watch the big football game on TV, and my sister had no problem with it. The wife of one of the men started hounding him and arguing with him about not watching the game on Thanksgiving, turns out that everyone was affected by the pushy over-reaction of the wife in this matter. I say, what's the harm in cases like that, everyone should have a good time.
 
My family never had the tv on when we had visitors or eating dinner, and I wouldn't now either. My ex-inlaws had a ritual of watching sports on tv after holiday dinners, which I found extremely boring, but I didn't complain, as I was outnumbered.

In the early 50s before everyone had their own, people/family/neighbors would get together to watch a special on tv, such as the queen's coronation, etc. and made a party of it.
 
I think if people come over to visit they should be talking and not watching TV. They can go home to watch their shows. I find the TV annoying unless I especially want to watch something. Now if they've got a little kid with them I'll ask if they want to watch a kids channel or a DVD.

 
re:
What are your ideas about TV Etiquette during meals or when you have guests or you are a guest in someone else’s home?[/QUOTE]

TV,cell phones,tablets are off and nowhere near the dinning room during meal times.
Sorry but I like to stick to the old ways of dinning. I hardly go to restaurants anymore since most patrons are busy on the cell,pisses me off.
 
Growing we had the kitchen tv on during mealtimes to prevent arguments. It worked too. As an adult, I can take or leave tv. It really doesn't matter to me whether it's on or not except during "The Walking Dead" which I must see. LOL.
 
growing up we were never allowed the TV on during the day...except on Saturday afternoons when the Old man wanted to watch the wrestling and do his football pools score coupons.. We all had to be silent while he watched TV. Later we'd get to see a childrens' programme or bewitched or green Acres, or something similar while the old man was doing something else, but the TV belonged to him after he came home from work so we kids didn't see much and mother basically had to watch what he was watching.. Neither of my parents ever watched a Soap, mostly it would be light entertainment...and I didn't actually get to see an episode of any of the long running soaps until I was 21 and had my own home and TV.

TV was completely banned during meal times...so was any kind of conversation...On the very odd occasion when he needed to see something on TV while were sat at the dining table ...it was for his eyes only, if any of us kids dared to turn around to look at the screen, a projectile would hit on on the back of the head ...horrible memories.

My TV is on when I want to watch something during the day ( always something I've recorded)...then it goes off until the evening, and I have it on in the background with the sound turned off, until I want to sit and watch something..however the TV does go off if I have visitors.


Apart from the Tv tho', has anyone noticed nowadays how many people leave their Computers on if you visit them?...I somehow think that's worse than the TV, laptop not so much but a great big monitor on a desktop...it's very intrusive .. I don't know why but it's like an elephant in the room...
 
Growing up the TV was always on. Sometimes we watched during dinner, sometimes not. I live alone today and I usually eat my meals in the den with the tv on. I rarely have visitors over today as I usually just get with friends at bar/grills. Most of the pubs have big screens showing games, so I feel right at home. ;)
 
I would never turn on the TV when I had visitors, with one exception. My son and grandson are big baseball fans, and somehow, having a sports event on
doesn't really feel like "watching TV." So I do turn it on for that.
 
hollydolly, with what you went through I'm surprised you care to watch TV at all now, or to eat at a dining room table. :( As far as computers being left on while company is there. I think some people leave theirs on 24/7 but most of them hibernate after not being used for a certain length of time so they should go dark. What I find annoying is people who hold their smart phone or even have it on their knee or table top and glance at it all the time. My husband said sometimes when we are visiting our kids and 2 or more of them are texting he's wondering if they are saying something like "I wonder when they are going home?" :) I know they aren't really doing that, but it is a bit rude. They at lest can keep up a conversation with us and make eye contact from time to time, even while texting or looking at FB or whatever they do on those handheld phone/computers.
 
There’s quite a difference between TV etiquette, computer etiquette, and phone etiquette. Three completely different things – although one might lump them all together under the heading of paying attention to one thing when you’re supposed to be doing another (interacting with guests).

As far as TV, generally speaking I think it’s bad manners/rude to pay attention to the television when you have company. Exceptions would be 1) a person who dropped by unannounced when you had plans to watch a TV program or 2) a casual “guest” such as a family member who comes over a lot and/or stays a long time.
 

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