It’s funny how much technology has changed over the years, isn’t it? Just a few days ago, after I called my daughter into the kitchen to clean up the earlier mess that she had made, I realized she was VERY unhappy with me and started giving me the silent treatment. When I finally pressed her enough on what was wrong, she tearfully declared “But MOM! You are making me MISS MY SHOW and it’s the BEST EPISODE!”
I almost snorted my coffee in laughter at her serious crisis and reminded her that she can pause, rewind and rewatch that very show as many times as she would like, thanks to Netflix!
I then took the opportunity to give her a little history lesson, which I will admit, made me feel SO OLD, about how “MOM” used to watch television. We’ve told them before that neither my husband or I grew up with iPads and even computers, to which their jaws dropped and they asked “Well what did you do then?!” It’s a true wonder how we ever survived!
I told my daughter of I used to have to study the TV Guide to know exactly when my shows were playing and make sure I was there right at the time it started because there was no pause or rewind buttons, unless of course, you recorded it on VHS. And then we had to sit through all those dreaded commercials and waste a full hour of our time rather than the 42 minutes of the actual show.
I recounted how one of my favorite shows, “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was always on from 5:30-6:00pm, conveniently when it was our daily dinner time. You were never allowed to skip dinner, but sometimes it would be delayed or I would inhale it so fast so I could catch the tail-end of the show. If I were really lucky, my mom would let me play it in the background so I could hear it from the other room.
It’s funny how much things have changed isn’t it?! Even if you still have cable, so many people have PVR’s now that we couldn’t imagine a world where you had to be physically present during the certain time slot of a show, for the entire duration, commercials and all, unless of course it’s a sporting game or some other kind of live event.
That’s one of the many reasons I love Netflix so much. We get to watch what we want, when we want. If the kids want a little cartoon action before school, we can do that. If I feel like taking a break from work midday for a romantic drama, I can do that. If we want some educational shows after school, we got that too. Documentaries in the evening with the hubby, sure thing! Especially now with entire seasons releasing at ONE TIME, which brought upon the “Netflix binge” you can get everything you want on demand.
There aren’t many “rules” when it comes to Netflix watching…you decide the when and the what and that’s where the beauty of it lies.
Now the biggest issue you will likely find in your family are people arguing over WHICH show to watch, because there are so many options! Well, Netflix created a fun little game you can play with your family to help you guys decide. Download this Netflix Spinner, print out and spin away to see what you will all be watching next!
Happy Netflixing!
Love & Blessings,
