Marriage Relationships are Dynamic - They are alive and always changing. They need to be fed, stimulated and nourished to stay alive.

Help us get re-acquainted. There is always something new about your spouse. After several years into a marriage, some of us may feel that we know our spouse like the back of our hand. On the flipside, there are those who complain that in spite of being together all these years, they feel they don’t know their spouse at all. “I’m really married to a stranger” is a declaration often uttered to a therapist or marriage counselor. By organizing date nights, we’ll have a sixth sense into what makes our spouse tick. When we dated the first time, we had a long mental list of things we wanted to know about our significant other. There was consuming interest about what the other ate, bought, thought, felt, and their views on nuclear science, the greening of the environment and the roaring of lions. It’s vital that we keep that interest alive. Curiosity won’t kill the cat, far from it, but it will kill the passions if we don’t exercise it.

Serve to maintain excitement in a marriage - Once in awhile we need to feel that the adrenalin in us is still pumping and is in abundant supply. Do you remember the first time love hit you and you felt that every nerve of your being tingled with excitement? We need to feel that excitement many times over regardless of how long we’ve been married: five, ten, twelve, twenty-five. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with breathing life into a stagnant stream. Don’t ever get sucked into believing that your marriage feels like a “recycled” union of two tired and bored souls.

Need to take time off from the kids - We’ve got to admit that the arrival of children robs us of our time together. There are cries in the night that awaken us because the child had a nightmare, the chauffeuring around tends to make us bone tired, arguments with teenagers drain our energies, and there’s a string of doctors’ appointments, school activities, the occasional problems with curfew and hanging out with the wrong crowd. These can get us all tangled up inside, forgetting that there’s also a marriage that needs looking after.

The KEY: Protect your fun times from conflict. - Establish a “gag rule” where you agree not to bring up old conflicts or issues. Protect your date nights from conflict and just have fun!!!

Here are ten ideas to get you started. If you try some of these, let us know what you think. What are some others you have found to be fun?

Date Night Ideas:

1. Plan a movie night. Rent a flick that you’ll both enjoy, make popcorn, and get cozy under the blanket on the couch.

2. Go for a hike or long walk together.

3. Pick up the ingredients you need to create a fabulous meal at the grocery store and then return home and cook it together.

4. Take a sculpting or drawing class together. Or go to one of those stores where you can paint pottery. Your art will give your beloved a new window into your personality.

5. Miniature golf, bowling, pool, or the arcade are always great for some old-fashioned fun and friendly competition.

6. Fill up a picnic basket with goodies. Go to the park and share your feast with one another. Don’t forget your picnic blanket.

7. Root for the home team at a sporting event of your choice. Indulge in hot dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks.

8. Climb a wall or a real mountain together. This sort of activity is fun but also helps couples build trust.

9. Have a tournament of your choice - Battleship, Monopoly, cards, Playstation, etc. For a twist, the winner has to take the loser out to dinner for another date night.

10. Think outside the box and go out for a romantic breakfast instead of dinner.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.