Many couples find it difficult to get together for quality time when juggling jobs and kids. If you find yourself texting your spouse from across the room or going days without having a real conversation, it's time to carve out some quality time. Here are five easy ways to do it.
- Wake up Early or Stay up Late
The great thing about kids is that they can't choose when they sleep. You do. It might be hard after a day of work, but take the time to sit down with your spouse, have a glass of wine, and talk about your day. Forget the tablets, laptops, and cell phones. Have a conversation. If you’re not night owls, you can wake up early to enjoy a cup of coffee together before your hectic days start rolling.
- Make it an Appointment
You might think of date night as a flexible affair, but that can start a destructive cycle in your marriage. Instead of looking at date night as an option that you could cancel at any time, think of it as you would a work appointment. You wouldn’t cancel a meeting with your associates, so you shouldn’t cancel an opportunity for alone time with your significant other. Schedule in a date night, or lunch, every week and honor the commitment.
- Hire a Sitter
Babysitters are traditionally hired to stay home with the kids while the parents go out, but you can hire a sitter to take the kids out instead. If you just want to curl up on the couch with your partner then hire a sitter to take your kids the zoo, the park, or wherever. Kids need some fun time away from home too, and they’ll be thrilled to go on an outing without their parents.
- Make Your Bedroom Kid-Free
Finding time for intimacy is difficult when you have kids. To help in this area, make your bedroom a kid-free zone. It doesn’t make you a bad parent if you don’t allow your kids to play in your room and jump on your bed. It means you care about your marriage and staying close with your partner. That’s important for the whole family.
- Buy Tickets and Make Reservations
If you find that you and your spouse are really dragging on spending quality time together, make the arrangements mandatory. You can help do this by buying tickets to an event, like a basketball game or a concert. Make restaurant reservations for date nights far ahead of time, or book a weekend away together. It’s harder to back out of plans when you’ve already paid for the event.
It may be hard, but it is vital that couples spend ample amounts of time together each day and week. Family time is an important part of healthy relationship, but so is alone time with your partner.
