Date Night

lifeatthezoo | February 1, 2013 | Parenting | 1 Comment

Mmmh, I have to confess, the words “date night” do make me cringe a little. They sound so corney… eek. But you know, they really are quite a good idea.

Since having The Boy and The Girl coming up to 5 years ago now, both my husband and I do, have a great social life.. just not with each other. Either one of us is always babysitting for the other and if not, we are too tired to go out.

Days, then weeks and then months go by, without us having some good quality time together. So finally we are changing things.

Step 1) Simply book time in NOW. Sort what you will do nearer the time. And not just once. Book them in monthly!

Don’t wait for that “great opportunity” or “super special occassion” to book a babysitter or as a relative to babysit. That time never really seems to come round. Book time in together ad worry about what you will do. Worst case scenario you can cancel it, but more likely than not you won’t.

Step 2) Make your gifts to each other “experiences”.

Neither of us are big “spenders”, so we are not really after any “big presents”. So without meaning to or having discussed it, we have started to give each other “theatre tickets + dinner” type gifts to each other. (Quite handy that I then get to do my theatre reviews).

Step 3) Make an effort.

Yes, we are dreadful at this – when I say “we”, I mean “I”. I tend to rush out the door in “whatever I am wearing”. It is nice to make a little effort – I don’t think it has to be a full blown “glamming up session”, but a fresh shirt or smart trousers make you feel less like “mum” and more like “someone”. It only takes 5minutes and I am sure it will make a difference.

Well. These are the steps we are taking to spending more time together.

What are you doing?