The Truth about Date Nights {and a giveaway!}

In June, Jonathan and I will be celebrating 18 years of marriage. There have been many ups and downs. But, I can honestly say it has been the best 18 years of my life. Besides keeping God at the center, I firmly believe that our marriage thrives because of our weekly date nights. Today, I am going to share the truth about date nights and why married couples need them.

The What

A date night is a time to get away with just your spouse. We began weekly dates within the first year of our marriage. Jonathan was a youth pastor at that time and had a lot of meetings. So, we decided to guard one night a week for just us. Now, almost 18 years later, we still go on a date weekly.

The Why

The purpose of date nights is to connect with your spouse. No matter how long you have been married, there are still things to learn about each other.

It is also wonderful to have an adult conversation especially if you have had a full day with the kids. Sometimes we have more serious talks and other dates are filled with fun activities. It varies by the week.

The How

I encourage you to make Date Night part of your life. Start with once a month and build up from there. People often tell me “Well, we can’t afford date nights.” I generally respond by sharing how we afford it.

First, we have a line in our budget for date nights. It is a priority for us above kid’s activities and sometimes even household items. Why is it a priority? Because besides our relationship with God, our marriage relationship is the most important. It’s worth investing in and fighting for.

Secondly, we don’t pay a babysitter. We have several families we swap with. Once a month, we watch their kids and vice versa. Our kids love going to their friend’s house. It’s a win-win for all involved.

Once in a while, we do need to pay a babysitter if plans change with other families. But, again we make that a priority in the budget.

Giveaway

As you can probably tell, I feel pretty passionate about date nights. I encourage you to think about how you can make your marriage relationship a priority by utilizing date nights.

To help you in that, I created a printable with a date night idea. Click here to download this photo scavenger hunt to use on your next date night. I would love to hear about when you try this idea. If you already go on dates, please comment with a date night idea. Jonathan and I are always looking for new ideas. Thank you!