We all know that nurturing your marriage is important. It is even more important when you have children and your “couple time” is often pushed to the side. This week, I got together with a few of the ladies from The Mommy Mindset to discuss making time for marriage.
Valerie: Doing things as a family and also making time for date night. We really try to make time for each other each night after the kids have gone to bed – whether it’s 30 min or a few hours it really makes a difference.
Lena: I am really bad with it. I still owe my husband a romantic dinner for his birthday (almost 4 months ago). WOW – I should really not be saying anything about paying attention to marriage
Kathleen: I’m still working on this. Even when the kids are all asleep, my husband and I do different things so it’s hard to find something to do TOGETHER. My suggestion would be the little things, a kiss, a hand squeeze, a shoulder rub as you walk by even. Showing you care in little ways will add up.
Mary: I have a husband? So that’s who that guy is! Just kidding… It is crazy hard to find a balance and it does not help that we co-sleep. One day baby girl will be in her own bed! Until then, we are creative in finding “alone time” but we fail at date nights and I feel the strain. I think we both realize that this time is temporary and our needs can come second – for now. That said, holy crap do we need a weekend alone! A friend of mine, who’s kids are a few years older, will just go into their room for “mommy and daddy time.” As open as I am about some things I don’t think I will ever be that open. Its bad enough my son caught us one night, I don’t think we could afford the therapy on us actually doing it while they are fully conscious.
Emily: My husband is ALWAYS wanting to have date nights, my problems is that I ALWAYS want to be the one to tuck The Boy in at night. I’ve started to let go of that and we’ve been having at least one date night a month. A few weeks ago, we went away overnight and my mom stayed with The Boy. It was awesome to let go of being a mom and connect with my husband. We go to lunch together during the week while The Boy is at school, not as romantic as a dinner, but still a wonderful time together. We even have a date night planned for this Tuesday – Dave Matthews Band!
Ghada: Hmmm…by the crickets in the discussion, I suspect we are all having trouble keeping that balance. To be honest, with 2 kids under 5 paying attention to our marriage is sometimes as simple as having a chat over tea after dinner. Though we are aiming to do date night starting in July at least twice a month.
Mary: Ghada I was thinking the same thing and feel relived that it is not just me, ladies.
What do you do to nurture your marriage?
Thanks so much Valerie of Valerie’s Reviews, Lena of Way2Goodlife, Kathleen of Callista’s Ramblings, Mary of iNeed a Playdate, and Ghada of Mama goes BAM for sharing your thoughts this week!
