Hey Parents: Does Date Night Still Happen?

My husband and I went to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary. For the first time in a year and a half, we had the opportunity to slow down and truly relax in each other’s company. Usually, our daily communication revolves around things that need to get done and kids. Our date night lasted 5 days on a beach in warm weather without having to worry about getting someone a snack.

We have a date night notification on our calendar that goes off every week and 99% of the time we dismiss it. At the end of the day we are spent, ready to relax and watch some TV by ourselves.

We are lucky that my in-laws live close by, so we can count on them to go out to dinner or have a weekend alone. But having those 5 days together in a place that will frown on you if you don’t relax is different. It takes a day or so to get to that place where you can relax, so a weekend gives you just enough time to start the process before the daily routine comes back. But 5 days on a beach? Glorious.

Date night is challenging for parents. Going out requires a babysitter, which if not family will cost you money and will box you in for a certain amount of hours. A date night at home is possible, but just not the same as getting away. So what do you do? Devise a check-in every day where you get to connect, talk about issues and be together.

We have it on our calendar and the majority of the time we remember to do it. This can be a glass of wine on the patio, bedroom talk before bed, or dessert from a local restaurant. It’s not a traditional date night, but it gives us the opportunity to talk about things and deal with them together.

We made the little monsters that make our family full, so taking care of each other should be of upmost importance. At least until one of them comes in our room in the middle of the night 🙂

Want some solid date night ideas for parents? Check out my post over at Zulily!