When you become a parent, date-nights are often the last thing on your mind. In this article, we share tips on how to ‘date’ again and keep the spark alive, newly parents or not.
When you have children, romance can sometimes find itself on the back burner, and doing things like date nights can be a challenge to say the least. With everyone’s busy schedules, between work and school commutes, household chores and extramural activities to attend to, is it any surprise the things we take for granted (like love) tend to get neglected?
There is no better time than now to freshen things up and get back in the habit of making time for just the two of you.
Quality time
Date night doesn’t necessarily always have to mean a ‘date’ date, all dressed up for dinner somewhere fancy. That’s always a great option, of course, but the point is more about you and your partner taking some time to reconnect, check in with each other and enjoy a bit of fun and romance with no distractions.
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Planning Matters
Date night can entail pretty much anything you want to do, as long as it is something you both enjoy doing. That could mean cooking a nice dinner together (that isn’t shared with anyone else), doing an impromptu home wine-tasting, taking a nice long walk, going out to see a movie in a cinema, or simply doing a jigsaw puzzle together or some other hobby.
You can take turns deciding what to do – maybe keeping it a surprise for a bit of added excitement – or come up with plans together. Sometimes planning is half the fun: you could make a list together of classic films to watch, or interesting restaurants to visit, or exotic meals to prepare together – heck, even a list of illustrations from a certain ancient Indian text you want to imitate, perhaps – and enjoy checking off the list over the next few months.
Taking the time to plan your date nights will give you something to look forward to, and help keep you committed to making them regular events. It is important to make a point of doing this often; it’s all too easy to fall into a rut of shuttling between the office and bed and living past each other. But it’s also easy to avoid this if you make a bit of effort.
Avoid The Guilt Trip
As for the kids, there is no reason to feel guilty about having someone else watch them on date night. You and your partner have earned this time together, you need it and you deserve it.
Moreover, whether they’re being watched by granny, a babysitter or their uncles and aunties, those people love your kids and are more than happy to spend some time with them. And it will be good for the kids to be around other people, too. If it’s an option, drop them off on Friday night and pick them up the next day, so you and your partner can have a bit of a lie-in...
More Ideas
> A wine and painting night out (or in)
> Pampering spa-style treatments at home
> Book a couple’s massage > Have a garden picnic
> Watch a movie at an outdoor cinema/drive-in
> A stargazing evening around a fire
> Sunset with cocktails and a view
Text: Rhynhardt Krynauw
Photograph: Shutterstock
Date night can entail pretty much anything you want to do, as long as it is something you both enjoy doing. That could mean cooking a nice dinner together (that isn’t shared with anyone else), doing an impromptu home wine-tasting, taking a nice long walk, going out to see a movie in a cinema, or simply doing a jigsaw puzzle together or some other hobby.
You can take turns deciding what to do – maybe keeping it a surprise for a bit of added excitement – or come up with plans together. Sometimes planning is half the fun: you could make a list together of classic films to watch, or interesting restaurants to visit, or exotic meals to prepare together – heck, even a list of illustrations from a certain ancient Indian text you want to imitate, perhaps – and enjoy checking off the list over the next few months.
Taking the time to plan your date nights will give you something to look forward to, and help keep you committed to making them regular events. It is important to make a point of doing this often; it’s all too easy to fall into a rut of shuttling between the office and bed and living past each other. But it’s also easy to avoid this if you make a bit of effort.
Avoid The Guilt Trip
As for the kids, there is no reason to feel guilty about having someone else watch them on date night. You and your partner have earned this time together, you need it and you deserve it.
Moreover, whether they’re being watched by granny, a babysitter or their uncles and aunties, those people love your kids and are more than happy to spend some time with them. And it will be good for the kids to be around other people, too. If it’s an option, drop them off on Friday night and pick them up the next day, so you and your partner can have a bit of a lie-in...
More Ideas
> A wine and painting night out (or in)
> Pampering spa-style treatments at home
> Book a couple’s massage > Have a garden picnic
> Watch a movie at an outdoor cinema/drive-in
> A stargazing evening around a fire
> Sunset with cocktails and a view
Text: Rhynhardt Krynauw
Photograph: Shutterstock
PARENTING 101: HOW TO CONTINUE WITH DATE-NIGHTS
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
February 14, 2023
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
February 14, 2023
Rating:
