Life gets busy and it can be easy to forget to make time for the one who’s most important to you. Marriage can mean that you slip into the habit of taking your partner for granted. You’re running in several directions and just trying to keep up with everything you have to do and everywhere you have to go. Carving out time to spend together can become a challenge. Here are some fun tips on how to make time for your spouse so you can stay emotionally connected and enjoy each other.
How important is it to make time for your spouse?
Here’s your wake up call. There is nothing more important than making time for your spouse. Failure to do so can result in the crumbling of your partnership and a complete change in the life you know. Furthermore, if you have kids, it is even more imperative to spend quality time with your spouse. If you and your spouse don’t invest in and care for your relationship, it will effect the whole family.
Why is it important to make time for your spouse?
Your marriage is the most important relationship you have. A strong and happy marriage will teach your kids what a good relationship looks like and help ensure stability for you all. Your spouse will be around long after your kids grow up and move out but only if you put in the effort. All good things take work, love, and attention. So does marriage. Making time for your spouse ensures you have a chance to emotionally connect and be there for each other in your times of need. It lets your spouse know you care about them and that fosters a loving feeling.
How much time should you spend with your spouse?
There is no exact amount of time you need to spend with your partner. The point is that you both feel connected and cared for. Doing something fun with your partner on a fairly regular basis is important to keeping your relationship strong. Talking with each other about your feelings is also an important part of spending time together. Maybe a 15 minute touch base before bed will suffice most of the time. In addition, a few hours together on your days off can be spent doing something you will both enjoy together.
Fun Things To Do With Spouse
Finding time and making the effort to reconnect will create a stronger bond for your marriage. Here are a few tips that will help you make time for your spouse.
Be Adventurous
Creating memories together will strengthen your bond. Find a new adventure that you’d both like to try and make it a date. Have you always wanted to try kayaking, ziplining, or rock climbing? Maybe taking on a home improvement project together is more your style. Whatever it is, team up and do it together. Pick something you both enjoy or take turns doing something you know excites the other person.
Take Up a Hobby
Try a new hobby together. You might want to take up bike riding or sign up for a cooking class. Take dancing classes or go for day hikes. Taking up a new hobby and learning something new together will make you feel more like a team.
Schedule Date Night
Yes, it’s easy to say but much harder to actually find the time. If that’s the case, you need to MAKE the time. Your relationship is worth it. Hire a babysitter or drop the kids off with their grandparents. Or, get creative and swap babysitting with other parents who are trying to have a date night. Make date night a regular event, it doesn’t matter if it’s once a week or once a month, just put it on the calendar and make it happen. Can’t afford to go out? Plan a date night at home … pizza and a movie, cook dinner together, or lay a blanket out in the backyard and go star gazing.
Take an Overnight
Go away for a night, or, dare I say, a whole weekend, without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Go camping or enjoy a stay at a bed and breakfast. Many hotels offer weekend getaway packages that include your room, breakfast, and tickets to a local event. You deserve some kid-free quality time together.
Start a Private Book Club
Find books that you and your spouse will both enjoy then spend some time talking about them. You can learn something new or take an imaginary adventure then bond with your spouse over your shared enjoyment. It will give you something to talk about other than the kids. You can even try reading them together if you like! My husband and I used to take turns reading chapters of a book to each other before bed. Even little things can be romantic and become something you look forward to do doing together.
Schedule Time to Talk
It’s important to have conversations that aren’t about the kids. Talk about work, your friends, things you’d like to do together, a movie you saw, absolutely anything. The important thing is to have some time to talk like you used to when you were dating to keep the love alive. Put the kids to bed, pour a glass of wine, and snuggle up on the couch for a good long chat. If you feel like you have run out of things to talk about, you get some conversation cards (like those in the affiliate link below) to help get you started.
Conclusion
Make sure that when you are spending time with your spouse, you are giving them your undivided attention. In other words, no one likes to feel less important than a phone or some other distraction. A little quality time together will keep the romance alive and make your marriage stronger every day. How do you make time for your spouse? Share your fun ideas or date night pictures @familyfocusblog!
I have one last piece of advice. If you find yourself not wanting to spend couple time with your spouse, I suggest you see a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Nip the problem in the bud and get back to loving each other the way you both deserve.
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Jeremy May says
This is very true! It truly is a big part of a long lasting relationship! We have to do what I call “micro dates” for now because we are super busy with our kids and little baby, but it totally works! As long as you are doing something together, alone, then it is better than nothing! Thank you for sharing!
Phenie says
So guilty of putting him down my priority list. We always go out for our wedding anniversary alone and there’s the rare occasion that we go out but other than that, life always revolves around the family.
Thanks for the reminder.
Vicky says
It can be very easy with all the stresses and pressure of every day living (especially with kids) to forget to do this. But it is so important!