Spending ample quality time as a couple is so important when it comes to nurturing a relationship, all the good how-to books say that, don’t they? But the reality for most of us is that day-to-day drudgery of household management, parent taxi service commitments and “must-see-can’t-miss-an-episode”crap TV are all factors that result in “ample quality time” looking a bit more like “Huh? I know we’ve met, but …”. Ok, a bit extreme, however when busy schedules and exhaustion collide, there’s not a lot of time left for nurturing adult relationships.
Enter Date Night. A planned evening set aside for re-connecting with each other and engaging in real conversation (and whatever other activity may arise). Time to talk about you, about them, about life and the things that matter for you as individuals and as a couple WITHOUT the interruption of “Mummmmmmmm, Mummmm”.
Sharing my life with a 7-day a week working man means that date nights are infrequent however they’re great when they roll around and woohoo tonight’s a date night. An away one, at the Coast, seeing a show, having dinner then breakfast ALL before heading back to planet Real World tomorrow! Can you tell that there’s a touch of excitement happening here? Ok, so more than just a touch!
Because so many of us who have probably slipped out of a regular date night routine, here are 5 tips I’m suggesting that could help make successful couple nights a more frequent occurrence in your life:
1. Put it on the calendar and treat it like any other important appointment. If it’s scheduled on the calendar, it’s a must-do. Try to make it a regular event, if you can.
2. No unnecessary distractions – the TV can go off for a while, the phone can be set to silent and the kids can be somewhere else. See Tip 3!
3. Enlist the support of family or friends for a childminding swap so the adults can have this quality time. It’s very likely that the kids will look forward to hanging out with their grandparents/aunty/friend for a little while too.
4. Don’t feel that you have to go anywhere flash or spend much money on anything fancy. A great date night can be had with a favorite home cooked meal, candlelight, discussion and boardgames ;)
5. If at first date night seems awkward because coupledom has grown cobwebs, remember that committing to together time regularly will really strengthen your relationship.
I’d love to hear about your date night thoughts?
Do you get the chance to have together time often? What are your best tips for quality time together?
photo credit: DimitraTzanos via photopin cc
