Alright, first I must make a small disclaimer saying that I'm not REEEAALLY upset about this. I'm perfectly able to put on my big girl panties and just go watch TV in the other room if I really need to. But still, I want to whine about it and commiserate with anybody else who has a TV Hog for a spouse, hehe.
I'm an only child, and my DH was the youngest of three boys. I never learned to stick up for myself and fight back while he had to his whole childhood just to survive, lol. As a result, I simply have no ability to snatch the remote and flip the channel to what I want to watch. That said, he is control of what is on TV 99.9% of the time that it's on.
We have a few shows that we'll watch together, but I flat out am not interested in sports, sports news, watching stocks tickers, and other such things. And besides the weekly episodes of the two shows we both mutually enjoy, that is what is on our television. It never occurs to him to ask if I see anything I'd like to watch. If I speak up and say I want to watch something, he says "that's why we have two TV's." If I manage to have control of the remote because I got home before him or he was in the shower or something, he thinks it's perfectly acceptable to walk in, pick up the remote, and change the channel. He would throw a FIT if I walked in and changed the channel on his show, lol. If he somehow manages to suffer through one of my programs for a few minutes, he'll just say how lame it is, how bad the acting is, unrealistic the story, or whatever until I practically throw the remote at him just to turn off the Negative Ned act.
And really, I don't even like TV that much. When it was just me, I didn't even have the TV on that often. So it's not so much the fact that we only watch programs that interest him that annoys me, it's the fact that he's so blatantly inconsiderate about it, lol. And if I do watch something on the other TV, or spend time in the other room because I just can't listen to football anymore, then he complains about how we don't spend enough time together, lol!
Anyways, just had to vent about my Remote Hog Husband. I love him dearly, I do, and he's a wonderful guy. In the grand scheme of things, this is a ridiculously silly issue to even get worked up over, and I do remind myself to put it in perspective, lol. One day I'll grow a chest hair, strut in the living room and flip the channel to What Not to Wear or something, lol.
i have this exact same problem. i started watching most of my shows on my laptop. with headphones on. sitting on the couch next to him. boys are jerks. no answers, just commiseration.
No way - my guy is great. I get to watch Teen Mom, Grey's Anatomy, Biggest Loser - all the shows he hates with a passion. But he still pretends to be ever so slightly interested, while he finds something else to do (usually he'll just sit next to me and play on his laptop a little, half watching). He knows I like them so much, he'll put them on without me asking, or reminds me when "my" shows come on.
And when it comes to him wanting to watch some boring stuff on truck engines, Stephen Hawking, or how the world will be destroyed by giant earth quakes - I half watch, and knit, or read, or fold laundry.
And we have an unspoken agreement that if either of us has been looking forward to a show for a long time, that person unequivocally wins. And by that time it's usually something we're both interested in.
My husband is really good about sharing TV time. Though we share a lot of interests, I cannot sit through one more Military Channel show on aircraft carriers.
We usually flip through and find something we both can stand, otherwise one will just win out or go do something else. However, if I was watching a show and he came in a took the remote from me, I'd probably lodge it somewhere that would require the jaws of life to be removed from. Seriously, next time your husband does that, change the channel back and say "That's what we have two TVs for." Or, if you have DVR, record the show he wants to see and tell him he can watch it when the show you've already started viewing has ended.
He needs to learn to compromise. I understand how it is being the youngest child but that doesn't mean you get out of showing your spouse the respect they deserve.
I AM that person. Seriously, my partner acts like I've given her diamonds when I hand over the remote.
While I can't speak for your husband, typically, I just don't realize that I've been watching my shows for hours. *I'm* happy, so I'm not thinking about anyone else. While I would be irritated if she just changed the channel, typically a "hey, I want to spend time with you AND watch something we're both interested in" helps put things in perspective for me.
My husband's such a remote-hog that he has a programmable remote control that only he understands how to operate. I'm convinced he did that on purpose.
He used to do that thing of just walking in and--BAM--changing the channel to "something good" even if I was watching something good. He eventually learned not to do it, but he'll still forget occasionally and flip off from something I was into.
Then I just flip HIM off and remind him that it's rude to flip without asking.
My hubs is a total remote hog. Like I think it literally makes him uncomfortable to not have it within his reach when we're watching TV. We actually have 2 separate living rooms, each with our own DVRs (yeah, we probably watch too much TV ) but we come together as a family every evening. The rule is that for the hour or so we are all together watching TV, it has to be something everyone likes (HARD with a hub who actually likes to watch SILENT movies and other weird stuff I can't sit through, AND a tween daughter who likes Wizards of Waverly Place type shows).
We all will watch American Idol, Survivor (though I'm the only one who actually likes it), the Amazing Race, American Pickers, and oddly, we all like All in the Family reruns at the moment!
I am the remote hog, my husband tries to talk me into watching something he is interested in when I flip through the channels and once in awhile I will give in. Then I hope and pray that he will fall asleep so that I can switch it to what I want to watch.
Ha! Same here. I hardly ever see the remote. He gives it up when I ask for it but usually he is the remote hog. However, no biggie, we like similar stuff. We watch lots of hockey (We are in Canada :-)) and other sports, documentaries, etc. Sometimes I leave the room (Simpsons marathon sigh) and do other stuff or watch in the bedroom. But it doesn't happen often. One thing he can't stand (i.e. leaves the room) is Sex and the City! My personal revenge for excessive Simpsons watching. :-)
I got my own TV in the workout room and we got another satellite receiver, so I can record my stuff in a whole other room. I did get sucked into sports, after a couple of years of marriage. I know more now about football and NASCAR than I should. In fact, I was the winner of a Fantasy Football league this year.
Haha, some of you guys sound like you're in similar situations with my guy and me.
He's an Army officer, and does well with rules and regs, lol. (I have learned that my best bet for starting any kind of marital discussion is to make a bullet point list of my thoughts and feelings...hahaha). I'm thinking about proposing some kind of home rule that gives me some remote time. Maybe he has the remote for an hour, I have the remote for an hour, then we both pick something for an hour. Or maybe the hour after dinner is my TV time. Or SOMEthing. Because I really don't need to be the remote person that much, I'd actually generally rather read or play on my laptop while he's watching. But then it wouldn't be a total remote dictatorship, lol. He might be able to understand and respect a "family rule" because I think dumb-boy-itis affects his brain just enough where he doesn't realize "Hmm, I know my wife isn't a big TV watcher, but maybe I could offer the remote once in awhile just to be nice."
Ok, I have to comment about the last part about his complaining you're not together enough when you do choose to go in the other room.
With my guy, it's not television, its sitting at his computer which he has set up with multiple large monitors because he has so many screens open. His perfect relaxation is being at this desk with me sitting beside him FOR HOURS so he can hold my hand, etc. while surfing. If I go into the next room to read, he manages to find something I just HAVE TO SEE or HAVE TO LISTEN TO in the office every few minutes.
Intellectually he understands that I sit at computer all day so not how I want to spend my evenings or weekends, but "he just misses me" if I don't sit with him. I'm touched and annoyed at the same time...
Caryesings, that's exactly how my DH is with the TV! He wants to watch exactly what he wants to watch without question, AND he wants me to sit with him for hours and enjoy it with him. In theory, that's not all bad. But he knows that I'm not into sports, sports news, or watching stock tickers. So he wants me to sit there watching stuff he and only he chooses, stuff he knows that I find painfully boring, and enjoy myself.
I honestly do think it's a loving gesture for me to watch a football game with him and act interested sometimes. And we've had some good times snuggling and watching the game. But I don't think me watching what he wants should be 100% of our couple time. He needs to understand that suffering through my shows sometimes and act like he enjoys it is important also. Or doing something completely un-TV related.
Anybody else married to TV Remote Hogs?
) but we come together as a family every evening. The rule is that for the hour or so we are all together watching TV, it has to be something everyone likes (HARD with a hub who actually likes to watch SILENT movies and other weird stuff I can't sit through, AND a tween daughter who likes Wizards of Waverly Place type shows). 
