My husband grew up watching way more TV than I did. He had cable. I had PBS. He and his mom frequently ate on the couch in front of the television. My family ate dinner together every night in our dining room. The TV was always on in his home while my parents usually hit the off switch before heading to bed.
Once we started living together, I realized how dependent my husband was on TV. As soon as he walked into the door of our apartment, he switched on the TV. Trying to chat with him during his shows was pointless. I had to wait for the commercial breaks. TV comforted my husband. He escaped his stressful workday by immersing himself in dramas, sitcoms, even soap operas.
To make sure he wasn’t distracted during our pillow talk and extracurricular activities, I quickly instituted a rule against televisions in our bedroom. We watched movies and TV shows in our living room and saved the bedroom for cuddling and lovemaking. This has worked pretty well for us. Until we had kids.
Now, the bedroom has become a sanctuary for us. While our bedroom is messy, there’s no Lego pieces to accidentally step on. No apple cores hidden under a throw pillow. No stacks of books falling off end tables. (Maybe not the last one.) I can shut the door to our bedroom and forget about our messy home and kid messes, at least for the few hours before I go to sleep.
We watch our TV shows together and enjoy the peace and quiet. We catch up on our day during commercial breaks and discuss plotlines of our favorite dramas. There’s something luxurious and sweet about curling up with my husband in bed, glass of wine in hand, while we try to unravel Frank Underwood’s schemes.
Do you and your partner have a TV in your bedroom?
