Reason I Love Tyler #34

Tyler is very generous with the remote control.

Growing up, there were three people in my house--Mom, Dad, and me--and yet, we had four TVs. One in each bedroom, one in the basement, and one in the kitchen. At any given moment, at least three of those TVs were on, most likely recording something to be watched later or creating a comforting background noise. We loved our TV. Life without TV was no life at all. Life without TV meant we had to talk to each other. And since I had my own in my bedroom, I could watch whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. One of the best perks of being an only child.

An early photo of me

On the flip side, Tyler grew up in a much larger household. He wasn't allowed to watch TV and was usually too busy with sports anyway. It wasn't a given for him; TV was a privilege. And even if TV was allowed, I can only imagine the battles over watching Beverly Hills 90210 or, I don't know, Æon Flux. TV wasn't indoctrinated. Tyler didn't need it. And therefore, he can enjoy it like a normal person.

But here we are many years later, living together. Tyler and I have two TVs, which is a reasonable number, if you ask me. If we're downstairs, I usually turn on the TV for background noise. And usually, I turn on something I want to watch--the reality programming of TLC, E!, the Food Network or reruns of Dr. Phil. When it's time for bed, I usually turn on The Simpsons. (Luckily, we both like something on as we fall asleep and both like The Simpsons.) But it's still me choosing which season or episode to watch.

I appreciate the fact that Tyler doesn't "care" about TV as much as I do. He's not a remote control Nazi. Even if I'm watching something not to his taste, he doesn't immediately pick up the remote and change it. He just waits patiently for me to realize that, hey, Keeping Up with Kardashians is still on and that ain't his cup of TV. I try to have some alacrity with changing the channel because I don't enjoy making him suffer. We have enough channels that we can find something we both want to watch, for goodness sake. And I have plenty of time to watch trash when he's not in the room.

I am greedy with the remote. I'll admit it. When I remember, I'll hand it over and let Tyler find something he wants to watch. Usually an action movie. Not really my cup of tea. But I am happy to compromise. I love seeing him happy even if it's just over something small. And if he can do it for me, I can certainly do it for him.