School starting and a new pet peeve!

Today we started back to Smiley School (for those that don't know, we homeschool and the kids named our school the Smiley School)! It was good to get back into a routine. I am excited about the year and it seems at this point the kids are too (although it has only been one day!). Later on today I ran into my a big pet peeve of mine that has slowly growing bigger and bigger! When did doctors, dentist and other offices stop just having books??? I get so frustrated when I walk into a waiting room and there is a huge TV staring at you! I have always brought books for my kids and I to read during those long waits...some of the most fun times we have had at doctors and etc. Recently all of the offices have started having TVs in the waiting room. It isn't enough that there are tv's, but that they are so big and that you can't do anything BUT watch them. Beside the fact that I might not like what is on for my kids. Last year I took them with me to my doctors appointment and a soap was on, I have nothing against soaps, but when my kids are sitting there and there is no where else for me to go and certain scenes come on...you get my point. I even asked them to change the channel and apparently that was the only one they got. Whatever! Why do we have to have the tv on to constantly entertain us wherever we go...even in the checkout lanes now!!! Ugh!!! Trust me I LOVE TV, but seriously does it have to be everywhere?? Thanks to the eye doctor I went to today my kids missed out on a good 1/2 hour of reading time with mom. I tried, but when there is a TV the size of the wall and it is a waiting area smaller than one of my kids rooms...there is no way not to look. I tried, but SpongeBob won...UGH!!!