The short answer is that the ex-husband took it when we separated and I was broke, broke, broke so never got another one. But truly, I was never too keen on having a TV on at all hours of the day. Being without it has changed our family life. Yes, of course, my kids feel that they are being deprived of the opportunity – of ….what? I had to think about that. I guess they feel deprived of ‘the right’ to veg out and unwind after a long, hard day at school. They like to know what their friends are referring to when talking about the latest TV show – although increasingly it is the latest Youtube personality which we don’t need a TV to follow. They like watching movies on their dad’s big screen TV, although when we have family movie night screened on my 13 inch MacBook, everyone is immediately enthralled.
I don’t find the idea of keeping up-to-date on current events to be a compelling argument for having a television either – there is little wonderful news out there in our world, and even less I want to expose my kids to. It does mean that almost everything they learn about our political system they learn at school, which happens to work well as our political views align with the public school system they attend!
Enter Grammy. Grammy, my mom, who lives next door, has five televisions. Yep, Grammy, who lives alone. She even has two televisions in one room 🙂 So it’s not as if my kids don’t get exposed to current events and the occasional hilarious – although admittedly inappropriate – Trevor Noah skit. Although she insists that she keep it mostly educational, I know they watch too much political satire shows as Grammy is a political junkie.
As a result of having no ‘boob tube’ to turn to, my kids spend a lot of time outside – we live on a street where they have many friends their age, along with space to scooter and cycle –Luck us! 🙂 We also spend plenty of time doing puzzles and playing board games. When I hire sitters and let them know that we are a low-tech family, they frequently will bring along new games to play with the kids. We have tons of books around and a little Lending Library outside in our front yard – if the kids I get bored with the books we have, they can literally open the front door and get something new. It may be that in the future I cave to adolescent pressure and purchase a TV, but personally I feel like the lack of one has been a boon to our family.
I am a Nurse Practitioner and single mom on a journey to financial independence - here to share my thoughts and hear yours!
I've been a NP for 20 years - I have worked all over the world and settled here on the East Coast where I work with immigrant families from Latin America. In all these years, through all the experiences I have had, my one constant has been a feeling of gratitude for what I have been offered : great jobs, good health and a supportive family. I am happy with what I have, and hold a view of the future as one in which I will continue to have happiness, abundance and adventures.
I am also someone who grew up in a frugal household run by a single mother. I worked my way through undergraduate and graduate school, experienced serious health issues during my three pregnancies, and faced adversity in a complicated marriage which ended in divorce. I continue to struggle with my role as a single mom, full-time nurse, caregiver for many family members - and how to balance all of that. And yet, I see Financial Independence (FI) as a way to order my life, focusing on a future in which I will have the freedom to continue my caregiving and also feel personally fulfilled. My hope is that by sharing this journey to FI, I can discuss strategies and thoughts along the way, hearing from other Nurses/ Nurse Practitioners (NPs) who have a similar vision - and how you are planning to get there!
Join me!
Disclaimer:
What this blog is : my attempt to create a community. I want this to be a place where we nurses can learn from each other, we single parents can share strategies about FI, and where all of us caregivers can find support and inspiration on our journey to FI. I will share personal FI experiences such as : nursing as an awesome career to achieve FI and be super happy in general, my investment strategies, how kids influence my journey to financial freedom, the psychology behind FI.... And would like to create a community of other Nurses/NPs to share/discuss their ideas about FI.
What this blog is not : a how-to guide for how to achieve FIRE as there are so many amazing blogs, websites, books, and podcasts already doing that. I will link to helpful resources already available in the community, but apart from sharing my personal journey, I will leave the details to the experts. This is also not a place to discuss medical conditions (except for my own psychological angst and anxiety about money!).
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Nurse Practitioner - Financially Independent 