What is date night?
A date night is an occasion where a couple dedicates time to be spent together, usually alone, with the purpose of reconnecting and bonding. A date night usually consists of a main activity, such as a dinner and/or a movie, or a few activities planned one after the other.
Why should you have regular date nights?
Many times as life’s responsibilities creep up, date night is one of the first things to go. We feel like we’re “close enough” to our partners or like having a date night is a luxury, rather than a necessary part of a happy and healthy relationship. And even when we do want to have a date night, who has the time? We’re exhausted after a long day, we just want to lay down and relax.
This is a very slippery slope that most couples don’t see coming. Yes, it’s hard, but date night is crucial tomaintaining a healthy relationship.Especiallywith the added stress of everyday life. Date night helps us communicate better, feel closer, learn more about our partner (yes, even after years of being together),help raise happier children, and make relationships last longer.
Examples of date nights
Date nights don’t have to be extravagant, complicated, or fancy. The best date nights are usually the ones where we can just relax and be ourselves while doing something we enjoy instead of worrying about the stress ofplanning the perfect date night. Here are some examples of date nights.
Dinner and a movie… At home!
Yes, cliche. But instead of going out to a restaurant and a movie, do it at home! Cook up a delicious dinner (or dessert if you’re a little daring) and stream a movie! This is much more personal than going out.
Paint some art together
Grab some canvases, paintbrushes, and paint. Go home and start drawing. You can create a special painting together, or have some fun and draw caricatures of each other. Laughter is one of the best ways to grow closer together.
Nerf gun battle
This might seem a little childish, but when was the last time you got to have some mindless, childish fun? Go to your local Walmart or Target and get some Nerf guns or a laser tag set. Go wild when you get home. For extra fun, make forts and barricades with couches, pillows, blankets, and whatever else you can find.
Give each other massages
Nothing feels better after a stressful day than a great massage. Give each other a 10 minute massage, then lay next to each other and enjoy the feeling of relaxation. Talk about your day, or just enjoy the peace together.
Make your own ice cream
Everybody loves ice cream, but few people know thatmaking your own ice creamis actually extremely simple. All you really need is milk, sugar, and your flavor of choice. Not only will it be freshly made, but it’ll taste much better knowing you made it together with love with your partner.
To see more date night ideas, check out ourGuide to Date Night on a Budgetand ourlist of 22 at-home date night ideas.
Tips on how to have date night
Now, you may have the perfect idea for an amazing date night, but it’s not very useful if you don’t actually make it happen. We know, it’s not that easy. With work, kids, family, friends. It seems impossible for us to have any “me time,” much less time for date night.
We’re going to discuss three of the most common obstacles we face when planning date night and how to work around them.
Time
Arguably the most common deterrent to date night is time. We come home from work exhausted, only to have to catch up with chores, kids, pets, family, etc. It’s exhausting. It feels like by the time we finish, it’s already time to go to sleep and repeat the cycle the next day. How do we make time for date night like this?
Luckily, there’s a lot ofsimple, quick things you can do to make time for date night. You don’t need a lot of time. Just schedule 1 single hour every month. Yes, really, just 1 hour a month is all it takes. You don’t have to get fancy and make reservations at the fancy restaurant an hour away. You don’t have to pack up for an entire weekend away. Just set aside 1 hour where it’s just you and your partner together, alone. Set the kids up with their favorite show, movie, or game and use that time for your date night.
Now, you may be asking, “What are we supposed to do at home that only takes an hour?” There’s a lot of things! You can try one of our ideas in ourat-home date night ideas list! Alternatively you can go for the classic pizza and movie night.
Money
There’s a lot of social pressure to spend money on date night. Flowers, a nice dinner, fancy clothes. Even just going to the theater is usually $15 or more per ticket. Not to mention theater popcorn could make you go bankrupt.
That doesn’t have to be the case. The best date nights are usually the cheapest. When was the last time you and your partner just talked without a care in the world? You can’t do that in a loud restaurant or movie theater. Grab some ice cream and walk around a park. Go people watching. Buy a loaf of bread and feed the birds. It’s not about how much money you spend, it’s about the quality time you spend together.
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Kids
If there’s something we can all agree on, it’s that kids are exhausting. They change your life drastically. They have a ton of energy, need constant care and attention, and let’s not even begin to talk about how hard it can be to find a babysitter. Because of this, a lot of parents find it easy to just throw in the towel on both personal time and date night time. Here are a few tips on having date night as parents:
- Keep them distracted for an hour by putting on a movie.
- Get them a puzzle and tell them they’ll get a prize if they complete it.
- Have a date night while they’re asleep.
- Have them join a club or sport and use this time to date.
We also wrote aconvenient guideon how to have date night as a parent. Feel free to check it out!
Conclusion
People usually make date night complicated, when it doesn’t have to be. You don’t need a fancy restaurant, or expensive dresses. Date night should be about reconnecting with your partner and strengthening the bond that you share. It’s these small moments that build a lasting relationship and keep you close as opposed to drifting away from the lack of intimacy. Remember how excited you were to go on dates with your partner when you first got together. Don’t let that go. Keep that excitement and butterflies alive. Keep dating.
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