Okay, so first off I’m not technically married, but that’s just a piece of paper right? Dating your spouse/ or boyfriend, is something I think is so important! My boyfriend and I have co-habitated since 2016 and have two baby girls together. He goes to work everyday and pays the bills, and I raise our girls and tend to our home.
Sounds like marriage to me. We have had to work hard at continuing to “date” each other, especially with kids, it makes it ten times harder to have that time allocated for a date. So what did we do to be able to make time for it and how has it helped us grow closer?
Your Options
Well, the first thing we thought about was finding a babysitter, but who has money for a date AND to pay a babysitter? So we found some one with the same, quote unquote, problem as us. My older sister. She is a mom of 5 and is in desperate need of some time with her spouse too.
Once a month we trade off kids. I’ll go to her home on her date night and watch her 5 kiddos and mine (it’s a lot of work). On our date nights she’ll come to our home and watch ours. Pretty sweet deal, huh? Now if you don’t have a sibling, I’d recommend reaching out to a friend who you can trust in this scenario as well. You can also try this method if you attend a class, or don’t have daycare at the gym and want to workout. Reach out to someone else who is in the same boat as you.
Why continuing to date is so important.
Chris and I have been able to go on a couple of dates, and do things we wouldn’t necessarily have been able to do if we had the kids with us. We have been able to learn more about each other and do this stress free, without any interruptions. It keeps things fresh and shows your partner a side of you they probably wouldn’t see if you were at home in sweatpants feeding the baby and changing diapers.
This weekend we went to “Love Lock Bridge”, somewhere I’ve been wanting to go for a while now. It was a special moment , and something I will always remember. We had originally planned on going axe-throwing, but we’ll save that one for our next date, and I’ll update you on that in my next blog post.
What are some things you have been wanting to do that you haven’t been able to, and how can you ask for help from those around you in order to do it? Now go and do them, and start dating your spouse again.