10 Reasons Why You And Your Spouse NEED To Have A REGULAR DATE NIGHT

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Do you know the feeling of putting your kids in the care of a babysitter for a few blissful hours to get away and spend some one-on-one time with your spouse? Okay. I know we look ridiculous in this picture, but this is seriously how Dave and I feel when we head out the door for a date night.

It’s kind of a mix between crazy and excited because we are free–from our four precious but highly energetic boys– to just be us for a few hours. Friends, if you don’t know this feeling, then you are missing out! You NEED a regular date night to keep your marriage going strong. Here’s 10 reasons why:

When you go on a date, you and your spouse can give each other your best attention. With no kids around and a few hours together, you can do whatever you want to do! And, it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, my favorite kind of date nights are ones where we catch a quick dinner and go for a long walk at our favorite spot. Putting the kids to bed early and watching a movie while snuggling on the couch is great too! Whatever it is, do something that you both enjoy, and soak in this time together.
Date nights/days encourage open communication. What better time to talk then on a date night? No co-worker is expecting a work report, and no kids are calling your name from the bathroom stall. It’s just the two of you. Use this time to talk about you hopes, dreams, the future, something funny you saw…whatever. You’ll be glad you did, and you might even learn something new about your spouse.
When you plan a regular a date night/day, it shows your spouse that you love spending time with him/her. The longer we are married, the more we need to let our spouse know that we love him/her and want to spend time together. We shouldn’t assume that he/she knows this already. Plan a date night and show your spouse that you’ve still got it for him/her.
Regular date nights/days increase intimacy. The more we open our hearts to our spouse through conversation, the closer we will feel to one another. This is a great way to ramp up the romance. And, it just might lead to the bedroom. Hey, why not go get a nice hotel room and order room service for a special date night?
When you go on a date together, you invest in your marriage. As parents, we can become hyper focused on our kids and their needs to the point that we neglect our marriage. We can keep our marriage strong by keeping a regular date night/day, it gives us an opportunity to talk through any issues we might be facing before they turn into bigger problems.
A regular date night shows your kids that you value your marriage. It’s good for our kids to see us enjoying each other without them by our side. It shows them that we value keeping our marriage relationship strong, and we like to have fun together. For some creative ways on how to get some “mommy-daddy” time, click here.
Date nights/days are amazing stress relievers. When we feel burdened by work obligations, running kids here and there, making dinner, etc., it’s easy to want to fly off the handle at the ones we love most. When we go on a date with our spouse, we can blow off some steam by doing something fun together and talking through the stress. It helps us to know that we are in each other’s corner and will get through this stressful season together.
Date nights/days are a great way for you and your spouse to have new and different experiences together. Sometimes, life can be so busy that our days begin to feel like the same old thing. But, the beauty of a date night is it doesn’t have to be same every time…unless you really want it to be. Go explore that part of town you’ve always wanted to go to. Try that new restaurant. Go take dancing lessons. Attend a concert. Think outside the box and do something crazy fun together.
Going on a date is something wonderful to plan and look forward to. Sometimes, life can become very difficult and taxing, and a date night/day can be a nice bright spot in our week or month. We can even take turns planning it. Build up the excitement and anticipation. This will only add to the fun.
Your marriage is worth the time and money spent on a date night/day. It’s easy for us to make excuses as to why we can’t make a date night/day work for our marriage, but the honest truth is that we will make time for and spend money on what we value. Friends, what is more important than our marriage and family? It’s worth the investment and the return is a stronger marriage and happier family life.