As everyone else is experimenting with quitting cable we are just going back to it after a four year break. The verdict after two connected days? I already hate it. 

Our cable quit was fast and unexpected. We were living in Singapore at the time and being expats (and therefore highly transient and generally suspect) had needed to buy our DVR outright. Being at work most of the time meant I had to rely on the nanny to regulate what my kids watched which I quickly realized was 'everything' and 'all the time'. So when the DVR inexplicably stopped working I simply didn't replace it. No big drama, no big sociological experiment. Just the tried and tested wait and see approach and here's what happened. The kids eventually stopped asking about it. TV stopped being the default and started being an appointment with a DVD that had a start and an end. Oh and the bonus was the kids stopped presenting me with URLs and 1 800 numbers I needed to call for TV only unmissable offers. There were no more linking trailers that made turning off the TV seem like you were taking away something amazing.. so instead of being a limitless source of tension and anguish the TV once again became a good thing - in moderation. 

When we moved again to the Bay Area we decided once again to disentitle our kids from the wonders of American Cable TV. Much to the horror of all their friends who thought us austere and strange English people who maybe hadn't yet discovered or understood the wonders of cable? Thankfully though by this stage (2008) the world of cable-free TV was catching up. Netflix and Apple TV were our substitutes of choice. So once again we had a steady stream of great content that was very intentionally chosen and watched exactly how and when we wanted it. So we had to wait until Wednesday for new Glee episodes and months for Californication but apart from that we never felt underserved apart from in one very important area. Sports. In a house full of sports fans I am the only one who really couldn't care less. So as my husband and children huddle around the macbook watching live text alerts of the English Premier League games or stream the cricket from some spurious site somewhere...BBC Sports perhaps... I began to feel like the anti-cable police depriving my family of their cultural birth rights. Like watching Newcastle United lose at home. 

Finally I have relented, caved, gave in and we just got basic cable with the sports extras. The kids are ecstatic. I'm gutted. 

On day one we were back in negotiation land with iCarly beating me hands down and Sponge Bob coming a close runner up. I'm the parent I know so that's just me not being strict about my no TV during the week rule. But speaking of weakness that's where I come in again. That very first evening alone with the remote I accidentally wasted a whole evening and didn't mean to watch anything I watched. I also realized I'm now completely allergic to interruptions and yes that means ads. Having been in that business for fifteen years the irony is not lost on me. I'm used to watching things all the way through without interruption and in HD. All these horrible ads and trailers I just couldn't take. Is there a special channel where the good ads run these days? I fear not. Downloaded TV is like the one great double espresso in the morning. You look forward to it. You enjoy every minute and when it's gone it's gone. Cable is like the nasty drip coffee in the dodgy cafe on the corner, they keep filling it back up but it just never gets any better.  

So for all of you thinking of unplugging the cable. Just do it and go to the game instead.