Growing up without TV

For most of my childhood days we did not have a TV at home.

The first TV that I remember was at a neighbor's house in Grand Junction when I was under 5. It was a neighborhood phenomenon. It was black and white and owned by a neighbor who was considerably richer than us. They had a set of twins that was about my age.. Deany and Danny. We had a great time in a little yard preschool pool that has square sides and was probably made of Rubber.. not much plastic at the time.

My goal at that time was to take a long enough nap so that I could join the parents group that met on the nights that Milton Berle was broadcast. The neighbor's hosted TV viewing parties. Sadly I never made it, and knowing now about those shows and its content it is clear to figure out that it was a good thing that I was not a napper. Milton was always flirting with the gender issue, and to see a man dressed up in dress was truly funny in that era.

I remember Winky Dink however. You sent in a couple of dollars and got back a kit that you could interact with the TV by coloring on the screen with crayons and a screen protector.

There was brother Buzz with his rules for being a good kid. This was all pre.. teach Pat to read.

In the first grade I was not reading. Dad and mom made the monumental decision that they would forgo their entertainment to insure that I would read. The Tv was discarded and disabled.

I learned to read.. and the rest is history.. as they say. More later on what this did to peer interaction.

Love
Pat