Controversy began to brew in consequent weeks. Suddenly the TV started to become a focus of attention, and turf battles ensued. They began at the video store, where the rental selection became an argument. For the first time, I was shooed away from the living room before bedtime, sent upstairs to do homework that was long-since finished. At first it was so my parents could see the R-rated THE BREAKFAST CLUB, clearly inappropriate for me and my siblings. I remember sneaking down the stairs to catch a glimpse of the program. I later made the same mistake with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, which resulted in years of nightmares.

Over the years, like many families, we began to spend more time watching television, but less time watching it together. First my brother got a TV in his room, then my sister and I in our shared room. Today, this is common-place, yet is discouraged by the National Institute on Media and the Family because it inhibits participation in family activities.

According to a 2006 study published in May by the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost half of children ages 4-6 years have a TV in their bedroom and a 2005 Gallup Poll showed more than two thirds of teenagers had TVs in their room. Over half of parents indicated the primary reason they chose to put a TV in their child's bedroom is to free up other TVs in the house so the parent or other family members can watch their own shows.

Successful movies like FINDING NEMO, which are largely driven by an experience that appeals to both parents and children, attempted to lure the family back together. However, in a world where a child can watch FINDING NEMO over and over again in the comfort of their room, the shared family experience often doesn't reach the living room.

So what is a family to do? Give in to leading separately-entertained lives? Of course not; finding some quality time to spend together between parents’ work schedules and kids’ school and after-school schedules can be achieved both in front of and away from the TV. Here are some ideas:

Movie night – kids’ choice: Choose a night of the week when everyone can be home and declare it kids’ movie night. Let the kids pick the film (taking turns between siblings, of course), and enjoy it together as a family. This may sound incredibly simplistic, but the instances of family’s watching a program together during prime time are pretty few and far between these days.