It is just another Manic Monday, then Terrible Tuesday, but then Hump Day Wednesday comes along and gives you hope for the weekend, Thirsty Thursday (which the young ones call the new Friday), then FriYAY, Saint Saturday and then Sunday Funday. Sunday has its own introductions of mixed emotions.....
Unless you are a fan of Rick and the gang, then there is something to look forward to. I digress...
Unfortunately, all of these fun days don't really matter if you aren't able to take a moment and enjoy them...because you have kids. Now kids are amazing. I have one myself. They bring so much overwhelming feelings of happiness and pride, et cetera. But when you are wanting to give your spouse undivided attention, and the toddler is pulling the hair out of the family cat, the older one is going over the allotted screen time looking at who knows what, and work is calling you after hours, it is nearly impossible to bask in the glory of "Happily Ever After".
Now, I am not the first one to preach the importance of a Date-Night. Plenty of other resources have talked about it, such as here and here. And they quote the statistics. I am going to give you a pep talk.
1. YOU make the plans. Yes you. The one reading this. Quit waiting around for your partner to do it, or a day to become available, or a special event to happen. There is no reason you shouldn't be celebrating yourselves as a couple. Can you imagine the gesture if your partner made plans for you? Why not be that guy (or gal) who makes your partner's day? Take the initiative and water the grass on your side of the fence. If you are familiar with the 5 Love Languages book by Gary Chapman, this could be considered making Quality Time, Giving a Gift of a date, or an Act of Service (no cooking that night!). Date-night also sets the scene for the other two: Physical Touch and Words of Affirmation.
2. Leave those little love muffins at home. There is nothing fun about shoveling food in your face as fast as you can, feeding or coaxing a young one to eat "one more bite" or censoring all of the daily gossip or intimate details of your life from your unfiltered teen's mouth out on a "date". There is a saying...
Get a sitter.
3. Let go of the guilt. We all have something else we could be doing. You may miss putting your kids to bed. You may miss an email. You may lose that bid on the eBay auction. You may spend money you didn't budget for. You may miss...the new episode of The Walking Dead. *gasp* But you have to understand that reconnecting with your partner, being in the moment, and investing in your TEAM, will have ripple effects across all aspects of your life.
Last little nugget of advice: Do not underestimate the power of planning ahead.
No ideas for a date?? Here is some help! Try for the "night-out" option!
Or updated and local events What to do Around ATX
Date your partner! It's not weird.
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