Date Nights Are Essential to Your Marriage and Mental Well-Being

Date nights are essential to your marriage and mental well-being. With the day-to-day responsibilities of adulting, it is easy to neglect both marriage and spouse.

Break from Parenting

As a parenting coach, I should be the last person telling you that you need a break from parenting, but you do! To be positive and continue to nurture a healthy relationship with your children, you need to take a break from parenting.

Taking time to unwind and relax away from children gives you the energy required to continue parent effectively without burnout.

Getting to Know Each Other Again

How well do you still know your spouse? I do not mean their stress level or the horrible day they had at work. Really how well do you know them?

A date night offers a chance to get to know each other all over again. It presents an opportunity to be engaged in each other lives. When you started dating it was all about getting to know that person, their favorite drink, color, food, places to travel. You may know the answer to these things now, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t new information to learn.

Staying Connected

Being a parent consumes almost all aspect of your marriage. The day to day management of children and working does not reflect a balance for some couples. Date night offer the opportunity to stay connected emotionally with your spouse.

Keep the conversation about children out of date night. It is a time for the two of you to reconnect, don’t make it a catch-up time on parenting or household responsibility.

Double Up with Other Couples

Invite another couple to date night. It gives you the chance to team up in a non-threatening way. The conversation will less likely be about children if another couple is involved. Invite people that you would like to get to know more or one that you do not get a chance to hang-out with it outside of playdates.

Dress Up

I have two styles: Style number one: The Mom, which is yoga pants and some work out gear (I don’t work out), and some t-shirt with either a comic book character or UF shirt (GO Gators). Style number two: Work Lady, the dressier version of myself, the casual business style of dress pants and nice shirts, or a cute outfit.

None of these styles benefits my marriage. When we have date nights, it gives me a chance to dress up and be creative or sexy and to wear non-sensible shoes. It’s a break from the norm that both my husband and I enjoy.

Make It Fun and Cost Effective

The typical dinner is easy, but make it exciting and different. You can do a couple’s massages, watch a movie, attend a show, go for a walk. You do not have to spend money to have fun. There are plenty of free or inexpensive things that you can do. Go to a park and watch a free concert, or just go out for ice cream.

Be creative and trade ideas of what your spouse would like to do. Do a wine tasting at a winery or brewery, go Kayaking or miniature golf.

Make the end of the night exciting by staying up talking or check into a hotel for the evening. Go to a late-night bar or go dancing. Reciprocate between what you like and what your spouse likes.

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