Turn off TV week begins April 19-25. Some of you may want to mark your calendars. Personally, I’m going to turn on my TV. (That was sarcasm, btw, because I’m at work and unable to turn on a TV, but if I was home, I assure you, it’d already be on and blaring. Thanks for playing.)

My house will not be one of the 7.6 million American families who will participate in this 10th annual event that is said to promote healthier lives and communities. And it has nothing to do with my new Tivo, our 55-inch wide screen TV, or the 27-inch TV, or even our 19-inch TV. And as of a few weeks ago, one of those televisions is now hooked up to a satellite receiver in my children’s new living area.

Information on the Turn Off TV week promotes the week as an “exciting opportunity for children and adults to experience life without television.” I admit I have written articles about people who have participated in this special week. In my interviews they commentd on discovering each other and family-oriented activities.

The literature also compares the 6 million videos rented by Americans every day to the 3 million books checked out of the local library. The unspoken implication is that we rent more movies than we do books, which is like comparing apples to oranges. The last book I read (Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie) took me more than 10 hours to read. Most movies are less than 2 hours in length. Books get checked out for two week periods at most libraries and you rent movies for just 24 hours.

Yes, we have more than 2 TVs in our household, along with 41 percent of US households. (Ninety-eight percent of US households have one television.) For that matter, we also have three computers. And I couldn’t even begin to keep track of the number of books we own. We have four of the large 72″ bookshelves, plus three other book shelves and various other locations we keep magazines, newspapers and books.

As a parent, I resent artificial events like these to encourage me to be a “good parent.” I am a good parent despite our three televisions and my children’s ability to name most of the hit line up on Nickelodeon. We don’t choose the TV over a more active life.

Yes, our television is on for more than 3 hours a day, but we aren’t sitting in front of it. Often it’s tuned into our local news and we catch bits and pieces as we walk around our home doing other activities.

TV is an easy target. But it isn’t the problem. Turning off your TV isn’t going to result in your teen suddenly talking to you or your husband do more than ask you to bring him a beer.

And if you do decide to participate, I just want to warn you — the next big ban might be something really important, like chocolate. After all, we’re raising the largest (obese) generation of Amercian children ever.

Now it’s time to get back to my Tivo.