Is it a good idea for married couples to schedule 'date nights'?
I find it really funny that when we meet each other and we are falling in love, dating isn't a problem. It's a natural thing we do. We want to spend time with each other. Then we get married and it seems like such a hassle to schedule time together to do a date night. Just like when you were forming your relationship, you have got to feed it. The food of marriage and romance is love, attention and appreciation, and that's what date nights provide. They say, "I love you. I appreciate our time together and I want to give you lots of attention, lots of love." Plan a date night regularly and, most importantly, on that date night, do not talk about ordinary, mundane things. Do not talk about the kids. Do not talk about work. Do not talk about money or household chores. Date night is about romance in your marriage. It's about bringing out the lover in you and the lover in us. Do what's fun. Have fun. Have a great time. Get away. Make date night like a mini vacation. One fun thing to do is to plan a mystery date, and each of you take turns doing this, where your partner has no clue what's going to happen. You are in total charge and you are taking care of your partner, and it can be anything. I heard a story once of a woman who left a note for when her husband came home to take a shower, put on some clothes and get ready by 7 o'clock that night. A taxi came, picked him up and took him to a restaurant, and then she got a hotel room nearby. That was a great date within a marriage.
