Okay, I think that it is time to talk about the sanctity of date night. This is a very important practice, and I am so grateful for our church leaders emphasizing the need to spend time together just as couples. If you think about your family and the fact that you are working towards being together forever, isn’t it important to still like the person that you are going to be saddled with?
I know that every marriage has its ups and downs. But I think that as you take time to spend time together as a couple that those ups and downs just won’t be as hard to get through. Date night doesn’t need to be the elaborate affairs that you remember from high school. They can be as simple as a walk, a trip to the temple, eating ice cream together or playing a game together after the kids are in bed.
Right now my husband and I really can’t afford a babysitter and a date. He’s almost done with grad school, and I’m a stay at home mom, so money really is tight. But there are ways around this dilemma. You can swap babysitting with another couple with young children. You go out on Friday night while they watch the kids, and then they go out on Saturday while you watch the kids. Or if that seems too busy to you, switch every other week.
Another thing that is important is to actually schedule the night. Write it down in Palm. If you don’t make it a priority it most likely won’t happen. As you do this you will start to go out on a consistent basis. You might be thinking to yourself, “What am I going to do every Friday night?” Going to the movies every week might get old. You can get tickets to a play or the symphony or you can go roller skating or hiking. One of the most important things is that you just spend time together talking about your family and each other.
As you spend this time together your marriage will be strengthened. Your relationship is important in holding your family together. Be careful not to neglect your relationship with your spouse and focus all of the attention on your children. Your children will be happier if they know you are happy.