Why I Don't Let Isabelle Watch TV

This is a topic I've been thinking about posting about for some time, but I've always worried that people will see it as an attack on their parenting and that has put me off. However, it is something I do want to blog about so I've decided to go ahead anyway.
Even before Isabelle was born I was certain that I didn't want her watching TV as a baby or young toddler. People heard that and laughed and said "That's ok while she is young, but you wait until she is a bit bigger!" I wondered if they were right, and I would change my thoughts on the matter as she turned into a toddler. However, she will be 2 in just 4 months time, and I haven't changed my views yet.
It is a really simple reason why I don't want her watching TV - the total lack of interaction.
I see toddlers and young kids watching TV and they stare at it like tiny zombies, so engrossed in it that they don't hear you call them, they barely even move. They just stare. And that is absolutely what I want to avoid - that glazed over expression. Now, I'm sure plenty of kids chat away to the TV - but I am yet to see one. When I see toddlers and kids watching TV, they are so engrossed in it that the rest of the world falls away (and hey, I don't blame them! I'm the same!). It is a one way flow from the TV to them and the tiny people give nothing, or very little, back.
How do I know Isabelle will be that tiny zombie? Well, of course she has actually seen a TV on, just not in our house. I can't police other people's homes (as much as I'd like to!) and so she has watched TV at other people's houses, though infrequently, and when she she has seen TV on she has stopped and stood like a statue, totally engrossed. If I speak to her she doesn't appear to hear - she is in the TV zone. My normally chatty girl who bundles around the house just....stares. And I despise it.
People often say that their little one learns from TV - shapes, numbers, colours and even signs - and I think that is great! I will never be against anything that teaches kids.........but I can't help but think that they would still learn those things if the TV was off - as Isabelle has.
I know many mums who pop the TV on for a while so they can get things done around the house, or because they really need a break. There have been times - usually when I have been sick - that I have contemplated for a moment switching the TV on to occupy her for five minutes so I can have a break. But I am always glad I didn't in the end. Maybe I am lucky because Isabelle is an easy toddler to entertain and we have a great family support network, but we have always pushed through any rough days and if she is in a really bad mood and I am trying to do housework or cook, it either simply doesn't get done or she gets slung on my back where she is happy to chat away to me.
I'm not saying Isabelle won't ever watch TV, she will of course. If she is anything like me she will be a total TV addict when she is older! However, for now, I am happy that she watches none and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. I'm sure some of you with two, or three, or more, children are reading this and laughing and saying "You wait until the next one arrives!" and maybe you are right. Maybe, with the next one, I won't mind if they watch a bit of TV, and I won't mind Isabelle watching more but only time will tell.
I don't think there is anything wrong with other people letting their toddlers watch TV if they are happy to do so - it's just not my cup of tea.
And yes. When I plonk my bum down in front of the TV every night I do feel like a total hypocrite. I can watch as much as I want and she can't watch any? Really? Well...maybe the fact that I watch so much is exactly why I don't want her watching any - I know how much time you lose watching TV, and I want hers to be spent in the most constructive way possible, before she gets sucked into the world of Peppa Pig, Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins.