They say that the first year as parents are the hardest for a couple. When Dominik was born, my husband and I knew that our romantic lives would forever be changed. There was suddenly a little life that needed constant attention and love, which took our focus away from each other. And when our son was asleep, we were both too tired to do anything but watch Netflix. And being intimate? Ha. As a breastfeeding and co-sleeping mom, we may as well have been roommates.
Before Dominik was born, it was easy to go out on date nights, even during the week. We spent hours having conversations about anything and everything. When we watched movies, we sat through the entire thing, having snacks, and discussing what was on screen. We had time to be a couple.
Of course, as Dominik got older, things got easier and we found ways to “date” each other and be romantic. Of course it’s often tough to be a parent and to keep the fire alive as a couple. Date nights require babysitters, cash, and energy, things that are not easy for most parents. But just because you are both at home, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun date nights that are also super frugal. The dates are just a little different than they used to be.
Here are 5 fun date ideas for parents to try at home after the kids have gone to bed.
- Camping At Home: Set up sleeping bags and pillows on the living room floor. Make it a little more fun by creating a “tent” with a blanket. Roast marshmallows over the stove, star gaze in the yard with some hot cocoa, and use only flashlights and lanterns.
- Themed Dinner And A Movie: Have Italian food and watch “The Godfather”. Eat sushi while watching anime. Make crepes and watch a sexy French film. Sample craft beer while watching a sports movie.
- Spa Night: Take a bubble bath, give each other massages, sip champagne, and lounge around in fluffy robes.
- Play a Game: Order a pizza and play games. Video games, poker, board games, twister, chess, etc.
- Couples Art: Creating something together is a great way to express each other and to get more in tune with your spouse. Get a big canvas and paint one picture together, decorate mugs, sculpt out of clay (the movie “Ghost”, anyone?), draw each others portraits, or just break out the kids art supplies and go crazy.
Time spent together does not always have to be alone. After all, with kids, alone time is sometimes just not possible. When our son is awake and we are both home with him, we have found that the more stuff we do as a family, the closer we feel as a couple. So if your child is very young, or your alone time is limited, having some family time is a great way to connect to your spouse. We have a blast dancing all together in our living room or taking long sunset walks.
