When was the last time you and your forever went on a date night? Do you have a set schedule or just whenever it works? My Forever and I normally go with the whenever approach. We started doing a monthly date night that was planned by the other. (So you’re planning a date night every other month). Ideally, you would have a set schedule that the first Friday or second Saturday is your set date night. That doesn’t work in our lifestyle. We go when it rains, when we have to go on a parts run or when we can combine it with an event we’re already out for. I wish we could do the first Friday approach, but it just doesn’t work. So much of what we do is based on getting it done at just the right time so when it must be done, it must be done. With that said, we do a lot of in home date nights.
What should date night look like? However you and your significant other want it to look like! That’s the amazing part of planning every other one-you get to choose. We don’t have kids and we’re our own bosses so we have a lot more freedom than most. Don’t let your kids be your excuse not to go. I hear so often, “we can’t go on dates because we don’t have babysitting money”. Your marriage is much too important to let that be the case. Get creative! Find somebody in your kids’ classes or your church that will swap babysitting-you babysit for them and them for you so you both can go out!
Dates do not have to be expensive. Seriously, our best date nights have been free or very inexpensive. Dates do not have to be dinner and a movie/show. Once you have the kids out of the house, cook dinner with your spouse. Use the fancy dishes! Light a candle. Snuggle on the couch. Go walk, holding hands. Seriously Google has 5 million and one date night options that are virtually free or very inexpensive!
Ideally, Matt and I have date night once/week. To many, our dates aren’t dates. That’s the beautiful part-we don’t care what others think of our dates and you shouldn’t either. Checking cattle with My Forever is a real treat for me and I LOVE when we get to. Normally, we split and conquer with the cattle checking and when I simply get to ride around with him, it’s pure joy for me. I’ll call that a date night anytime. My marriage is my number one priority in my life. I want to wake up in 50,60,70 plus years and be ecstatic that I woke up next to My Forever. It takes work! I can’t coast and assume it will all work out. Just like anything we care about, it needs constant improvement.
Schedule date nights if you can. If not, make them happen when you can (at least once/month!) Don’t let the person you loved enough to give them the rest of your life, end up a roommate.