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4 Steps to Scheduling a Regular “Parents’ Night”

August 13, 201415 Comments

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4 Ways to Invest in Your MarriageYesterday I shared four reasons to consider setting aside occasional evenings for you and your husband to connect and enjoy some “down time” together. I called those evenings “Parents’ Night,” but you could call it whatever you like. (And you don’t have to be parents to plan and enjoy these kinds of evenings.)

If you read that post, you may have been thinking, “Girl, you’ve lost your mind. Apparently you haven’t seen my schedule!” I know, I know – many of you are juggling packed schedules and can’t imagine adding one more thing to your to-do list.

But what if, in the long run, the thing you add actually makes life easier? What if it makes things run more smoothly, because you and your husband are more in sync? What if it gives you something to look forward to, and makes some of the mundane tasks on your schedule seem a little more tolerable?

That’s what I think a regular “Parents’ Night” can do for many couples. If you want to give it a try, here are four steps you can take to get started:

• Talk with your husband and agree on what’s realistic. Can you set aside one evening a week or one every other week? What about two evenings a month? If the best you can manage is one evening a month, start with that – with the idea of increasing the frequency over time. Look at your commitments and calendars and pick dates that will work for both of you.

If possible, keep it consistent (e.g., every Monday, every other Tuesday, the first and third Thursdays). Once you’ve decided, write those dates on your personal and family calendars for the next four months. Agree that, barring an emergency, you won’t schedule any other activities or let your children schedule any activities on those evenings.

• Start making a list of things you’d like to do. You don’t have to plan out each night, but it’s helpful to begin thinking about and anticipating things you’d enjoy doing together. For example, you might set aside time to talk about your hopes and plans for the future. Or read a book together. Or play a game. Or watch a movie. Perhaps you’ll want to work on a house project together. Or share a massage.

If you have access to child care or your children are old enough to stay home alone, you might go out for dinner or coffee or a walk (although this isn’t necessarily a date night, if you can add some date-like elements once in a while, go for it). And hopefully, after relaxing and spending time together, you’ll wrap up the evening by making love.

• Determine what it will take to make it happen. Clearly, you’ll need to make changes to your normal routine on Parents’ Nights, but the type and extent of the changes will vary, depending on the ages of your children and your current commitments. And implementing those changes will take some time and “training” – of yourselves and your kids! If you have very young children, simply put them to bed as early as possible and set aside your normal evening activities to concentrate on each other.

School-age children will need to learn that they’re “on their own” on Parents’ Nights, in terms of homework, chores and entertainment. They’ll need to practice studying independently, playing quietly and putting themselves to bed – all valuable life skills! And they’ll have to learn to plan ahead, because Mom and Dad won’t be available to help with last-minute school projects or to bake cookies for the class bake sale on those nights.

You and your husband will have to learn some new skills too, like saying “no” to meetings and commitments on the evenings you’ve set aside. And letting go of the idea  that you must be on-call to assist your children every waking hour.

• Give it a try, address problems that arise, and try again. You won’t get it right the first time, or the second or the third. Old habits die hard, and it will take a while for everyone to get on board. Add an element that makes it fun for the kids, like pizza for dinner on “Parents’ Night.” Or reading by flashlight in a “tent” until bedtime. Take a “small steps” view of the process and celebrate small successes along the way.

What do you think? Is setting aside evenings for you and your husband to connect and unwind a reasonable goal? What would make it work for you? Please share your thoughts in the Comments – I would love to hear from you.

 

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Filed Under: Calmer Life, Family Schedule and Activities, Happy Life, Happy Marriage

Comments

  1. monicapruett says

    August 28, 2014 at 12:12 am

    Such an important thing to do! Pinning and featuring at Family Fun Friday. 🙂 Monica http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/family-fun-friday-week-84-loving-and-learning-together/

    Reply
    • GC says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:04 pm

      Thanks so much, Monica.

      Gaye

      Reply
  2. Sharon says

    August 15, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    I need to really have a “parent night.” It has been a long time coming. Sometimes, you get so busy with the kids and their schedule, you forget to schedule a time for the grownups. It would definitely help me to catch my breath. Now, I need to figure out what day, what time and can I actually make this work with my husband’s busy schedule, too. The closest we’ve come to have a parent night is walking to check the mailbox….which is a skip and hop from our front door.

    Reply
  3. jugglingrealfoodandreallife says

    August 15, 2014 at 11:50 am

    I love the term “Parents Night” It’s a nice twist on date night. It’s still the same idea, but when you put the focus on parents it is probably easier for the kids to get behind and support. Finding time in our schedule is really hard right now, but thanks to your encouraging, I will put some thought into it. My husband and I went on a walk together the other night and that was a big to-do. Tears about left at home and questions of how long we would be. Still……….it was really nice to hear his uninterrupted voice and hold his hand.

    Reply
    • GC says

      August 15, 2014 at 4:37 pm

      Hi Christina – Yes, just a simple walk by yourselves can be lovely, can’t it? I have to admit that I am laughing about “tears about left at home and questions of how long we would be!” Tell them, “Get used to it – this is the new reality!” lol

      Gaye

      Reply
  4. Leilani says

    August 14, 2014 at 10:47 pm

    We really need to have a “parents night”. And even if we don’t go out, we can just put the kids to bed early and spend that time to reconnect, instead of just crashing in front of the TV. I can’t even remember the last time we played a game together. Thanks for sharing this! Its inspiring!

    Reply
    • GC says

      August 15, 2014 at 9:16 am

      Thanks Leilani. My tendency also is just to “crash” and do something on my own if we have a little bit of downtime. I need to keep in mind how important it is for my husband and I to use that time to re-connect.

      Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Gaye

      Reply
  5. john says

    August 14, 2014 at 10:52 am

    That’s Really Helpfully And i Really like thee India
    Thanks

    Reply
    • GC says

      August 15, 2014 at 9:22 am

      Thanks John. I hope that some of the ideas are helpful to you.

      Gaye

      Reply
  6. Gab says

    August 13, 2014 at 10:25 pm

    Great Idea!

    Reply
    • GC says

      August 15, 2014 at 9:22 am

      Thanks so much, Gab.

      Gaye

      Reply

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