Software
Houzz Logo Print
edubya

POLL: Who gets the remote control at your house?

11 years ago

Who holds the ultimate power in wielding the remote in your home?

VOTE and tell us about it in the comments! (photos encouraged)

RTI universal remote | Solana Beach surround sound project · More Info


I do.
My spouse / partner.
My parent
My kids
Other - Tell us about it below!

Comments (68)

  • 11 years ago

    Since it's just me, I do!!!!

  • 11 years ago

    I live alone, so... I guess I get the remote.


  • 11 years ago

    *chuckling* @Paul N. You guess? that's cute.

  • 11 years ago
    "ahart92
    Sunday
    No TV. No remotes."

    Sounds terrific to me!

    In our house, pretty much my husband, or the kids if they are here. I am usually working on something and rarely watch. I just sit in the same room for company :)
  • 11 years ago

    Who ever gets there first or can make a decision what is worth watching.

  • 11 years ago

    We EACH have a remote control!!! He still tries to override my choices sometimes though.

  • 11 years ago

    depends on time of day and what we are doing while watching. there is no hard and fast rule for us on this point.

  • 11 years ago

    I control the remote, but not for the reason you might think. My husband and I have the same taste in shows/movies. I'm retired, he still works. After a long day, he doesn't want to flip thru all the selections. So...every so often, I research and pick shows that we might like and put them on the watchlist. When we sit down to watch a program, they are there and waiting for us!

  • 11 years ago
    Smileyface, my husband always falls asleep too, but with the remote in his hand, so if you take it away he wakes up and says "I'm watching that"
  • 11 years ago

    Hah! No tv! No problem!

  • 11 years ago

    We both have one. Works out very well.

  • 11 years ago

    We both have one. The on/off button doesn't work on mine but everything works out.

  • 11 years ago

    Whoever is watching gets control.

  • 11 years ago

    My husband needs his readers to see it now so I have taken over, the advantage of my man getting older!

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    My Jonathan Adler lacquered box on the coffee table gets to hold our remotes while they're not in use. It just helps to keep them from getting lost, especially the Apple TV remote! :)

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Girlfriend all the way...:) If she is happy then I am.


  • 11 years ago
    If, by chance, my husband gets to it first I just wait the 5 minutes it takes him to fall asleep, carefully slip it from his fist and click over to my show.
    We do "odd and even" days in our house for the girls so if there's an issue ... the calendar decides.
  • 11 years ago

    HE HAS THE REMOTE. ZZZZZZZZZ'S

  • 11 years ago

    All of your comments sound so familiar. If I have the remote, my husband takes it from me and changes the channel. He eventually falls asleep but when I take the remote from him he wakes up. For the most part, we like the same shows. In our bedroom, we each have a remote. I have learned to go in the other room and fall asleep watching what I like and he can watch his shows. I guess that is what happens when you have been happily married for a long time.


  • 11 years ago

    Usually we like the same shows but I control the remote. Hubby has never bothered to learn how to use it and is lucky if he can figure out how to change the channel let alone use the guide. It really is quite amusing to watch. He too falls asleep quickly so no need for him to have it. If there is a game on that he wants to watch, I go in the bedroom and watch my shows in bed. It all works out nicely. He even watches HGTV!

  • 11 years ago

    We came up with a solution in our family: everyone has their night. My nights are Thursday and Sunday, so I get to choose what we watch on those nights, no questions asked. This system has kept everyone happy for years! :)

  • 11 years ago
    He does, I don't know how to work it.
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    My puppy ate the remote. :(

  • 11 years ago

    I hate that thing.

  • 11 years ago

    I get the remote because I live alone. No arguments....

  • 11 years ago
    My husband controls the remote and it's all Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Now that we watch more Netflix, guess who's holding the remote now?!
  • 11 years ago

    Neither of us want it, se we end up trading off.

  • 11 years ago
    Hubby sleeps with it on his chest! If I want to wake him up I only have to touch it!
  • 11 years ago
    We have it down to a science. We know the days our favorite shows are on, so it's never an issue. Trust me, this didn't happen over night! After 14yrs of marriage, we've figured it out.
  • 11 years ago

    He does. We like most of the same shows so it really doesn't matter. If he's watching something I don't want to see I just use my Kindle!

  • 11 years ago

    We just gave up cable so the only remotes me have is to turn on/off or volume up/down. All TV is watched through our computers with the use of an HDMI cable. I'm loving it!

  • 11 years ago

    My wife has total control over our house, except for the TV. My TV set is my fortress - I get to choose the shows we are watching, I get to choose the football clubs we are supporting. Desperate Housewives is a tabu. VH1 classic is the only music channel that is aired in our house.

  • 11 years ago
    We got an extra remote so we each have one. In the evening we like to watch the shows we both like together. I'm on the couch and he's in his recliner. I use mine more for volume control, hate those loud commercials and he does the picking of taped shows and whatever else. It's a win win for us.
  • 11 years ago

    We each have our own TV in our own rooms ...my office, my husband's office, my son's office so we each get our own remote but I"m the only one who tapes shows so I guess I have the most power but there are few shows we all enjoy together. I love mysteries, my husband, the news, and my son everything else!

  • 11 years ago

    I picked my spouse, as he has priority when around above everyone else, and then he passes it to me if he doesn't want to watch anything. I leave it for anyone who wants it first and when it is quiet and specific programs I like ( about homes hehe) are on, I take it. Otherwise, if toddlers see it, you can be sure, they will not hesitate to play with them and say " hello" hahaha!

  • 11 years ago
    Other than the morning news, we DVR everything to watch later (to avoid commercials) or watch on-demand, Netflix, or Blu-Rays.

    Evenings and weekends, when I am home, I get the remote. Husband is retired, so weekdays, he can watch his shows.

    When I am home, it is understood that after a long day / week at work, it's my turn to choose. Sometimes I watch cooking or home shows on my own (while he cooks dinner or is on computer or whatever) but after dinner we usually watch something together (a show we both like or a movie).
  • 11 years ago
    We have his and her's 60" TV's, so we both get our own remote!
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Whoever is watching TV first gets the remote! Or it's shared after a period of time to make sure everyone gets a turn.

  • 11 years ago
    Sad to say I have become my mother with all the remotes. My husband knows how it's setup and usually only watch tv with him. We are also over the air with Netflix, Dave, Apple TV.... You can start to see the complexities here. Love that he has the interest and takes care of it. We both tend to fall asleep so we love being able to rewind (and FF thru commercials)
  • 11 years ago

    Depends on who is home. I usually just DVR stuff I want to watch. Husband likes to watch channels that make me want to poke out my eyes with a fork (history channel, science channels) so we rarely watch telly together.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    No TV, no remote control.


  • 11 years ago

    Which remote? We have at least 5 or 6 running that "system" he has created. It's so complicated I can't figure out how to:
    turn it on/off/down/up/standby/music only/videogame?/Netflix?/who's movie list will it recommend from?/oh you want a You Tube?/surround sound?/let's play a vinyl record!/the system needs time to connect to the internet/blackscreen for some reason/HDMI 2?/menu?... etc etc etc.

    I gave up a long time ago. They are HIS remotes.


  • 11 years ago

    lol rredpen, my husband finally got something called a universal remote that replaced 5 remotes. total bliss. even i can operate it.

  • 11 years ago

    There's hope? :)


  • PRO
    11 years ago
    On the rare occasion we watch tv I'm in charge
  • 10 years ago

    On the rare occasion I watch tv alone, I get it. When my husband watches tv alone, he gets it. When we watch together occasionally? We share. No big deal.

  • 9 years ago

    husband watches tv and I read both are in same room. He loves movies. I don't have the patience to sit and watch them.

  • 6 years ago

    A man operating a TV Remote? I don't think so.

  • 6 years ago

    I keep the tv on for noise. When we watch, we do together. Most of the time, our remote is under Snow, our cat😉 or on the table where both of us can reach.

  • 6 years ago

    We have two remotes for each tv.