The Couples Curse: The Remote Control

I have a saying about my long term relationship: Warren taught me to cook and I taught him the importance of having a proper Hi-Fi system in the house.

And as a couple, we are mad about movies, music and entertaining, so both go hand in hand.

But over the years, the few remote controls that sat in the lounge has grown into many more that reside in a small box under the coffee table. We even have a keyboard to run a dedicated entertainment computer.

What has been charming to watch over the years is how the tables have turned on me.

In the past I would teach my partner how to simplify the use of our various remotes to awaken the never ending inputs for vision and sound. Recently, he is the one showing me short cuts I never knew.

And anyone watching us would identify the same ‘to and fro’ regarding which button to press to do what, from their own lives. We know this. We sat with another couple many years younger than us, try to get their heads around the keyboard remote for a new UHD TV. And both knew they were right!

The talking television.

One of our friends listed the combination of buttons he used to make the television talk to you whenever you did something as minor as switch channels or turn up the volume. It even read the long description of the broadcast currently on. A great feature if you’re vision impaired, but bloody annoying if you’re not!

His lover debated that there was an easier way to turn this excruciating feature off, and picked up the TV’s keyboard to demonstrate. Their enjoyable banter only reminded us of ourselves as we very notably, exchanged glances.

All over the world the remote debate goes on!

Couples bring a new component into their house and all of a sudden there’s healthy loving debate about the over bloated menus, or how to adjust the contrast for natural skin tones, or how to only record the initial broadcast of a show without ending up with the various encore screenings.

And as our remote controls multiply like horny rabbits, we wonder if getting up to change the channel was such a bad thing.