(if you haven't seen the movie "Date Night", then you don't know what this title means)
When you become parents, carving out time for a date can be as hard as cutting a $2.99 steak with a butter knife. It takes maneuvering, gusto, and intense hunger. It's easy to give up and just chuck that steak into the garbage and order Chinese.
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| On a date with #3 tagging along in my belly |
I remember our first date after having our first daughter. We went to stay at the Sybaris (bow-chicka-wowow! YES IT WAS CLEAN! Everyone asks me that) and ate fried macaroni and tried to watch "The New World" but it was awful and I'm pretty sure I leaked breastmilk multiple times and the night felt like one long run-on sentence. It kinda made me not want to go out together again. It was so much work. Getting a sitter, preparing the milk, prying myself away from my child (I think that happens only after the first child...), worrying about the child (that never ends), it can all be pretty exhausting.
Or you could have a kid like I used to be who makes the babysitter call you because they think they have skin cancer or some flesh-eating bacteria. But those chances are slim. That you have a kid like that, that is. (Skin cancer is surprisingly common but often treatable if caught in time. Not sure about flesh-eating bacteria.)
My point is, that you can always find excuses to NOT go on dates with your loved one because it is a lot of work. But how often do we say, "I should date my spouse because I am trying to prevent us from ever getting a divorce"?
One of my most favorite dates was when we decided to go to a casino because we had never been to one before and I think we spent about $20 and decided it was kinda lame so we sat in the cafeteria and talked for two hours. And I was reminded why I love that man. And it only took $20 in donations to the Potawatomi tribe to remember that; often it takes less money than that.
The best piece of advice we got as new parents was to always date each other, because one day the kids will grow up and move away, and then we'll only have one another. Our kids are watching us and crave to see a healthy relationship modeled for them. I pray this is what our kids see in us as a couple.
Okay, so here's my plug. We (Rob and I) are doing the Date Night Challenge (of which I am also assisting with the social media campaign), and I want to invite you to do it too. It's all about fostering a deeper relationship with your love. It's so simple: enter your email on the website, or like us on facebook and go on one or more dates between Feb. 6 and March 11. You can even download a mobile app on Jan. 30 that gives great ideas, coupons and connections, or find all the info on the website. (Did I mention they are gonna giveaway some crazy awesome prizes?!?! I can't tell you yet...but I will tell you they are better than you are thinking they will be.)
So grab your butter knives and start carving that cheap hunk-o-meat! Or better yet, make reservations with your spouse at a nice steakhouse where the steak is as tender as butta. Rimshot!
