In the late 1980s, my family and I tried an experiment: We put the TV in storage for a year, to see what would happen. It was our own idea, because we've always liked to challenge ourselves and grow. Sure, it was a little radical, but it also seemed like a game. Could we really live for a year without any TV?

At first, it was a good thing. We read more. We played board games. We went out for walks together, and we did more things as a family.

But, before long, I found excuses to slip into the storage room. We lived in Florida, and it was important to stay aware of storm warnings. Our radio reception wasn't great, and we soon realized that we didn't enjoy reading the newspaper for current events and weather reports. That's what I told myself, anyway.

Besides, I didn't watch actual television shows, just the occasional weather update. And, nobody else in the family watched the TV at all, so the experiment seemed to keep "on track." I felt a little guilty when I lingered to see the conclusion of the commercial breaks after each weather report. But, I did my best to live without TV; after all, my experiences were part of our year-long experiment, too.

At the end of the year when we brought the television back out and plugged it in, I had very mixed feelings. I realized that we'd never watched very much TV. We'd always used common sense, watched shows with our children, discussed what we watched, and rarely watched "too much" TV. Why had we thought that this experiment would be so significant? Was it more to impress our friends with how radical we were? I'm still not certain.

As we resumed television watching, I saw how important the programs were for my children. TV shows brought the world to my children in ways that books never could.

Sure, the reverse is true: Books give a depth of experience that extends far beyond the two-dimensional TV screen.

But, it's an important balance to keep in mind. Watching no TV at all was no better than the over-use of the television in other homes. I was glad that we'd tried living without TV, but we'd have learned the same lessons if we'd turned it off for a month.

My life was richer with television shows, too. I watched biographies and history shows on cable stations, and followed-up by taking related books out of the library. My children and I learned about the lives of Olympic swimming hopefuls, and that gave us greater insights when we went to a local pool to see some of these same people compete locally.

And, when TV shows from my childhood were re-broadcast, I could share them with my family. Suddenly, my kids understood how different life was when I was growing up.

What I learned in that year is that television isn't the evil influence that some claim. In fact, I think that the TV is a vital part of growing up, and it enhances our lives in ways that we may not realize.

I'm glad that we lived without television for awhile, just to see what it was like. But, I can say without hesitation that extremes are foolish in either direction, and television--in moderation and with parental supervision--is an important part of family life.