What's the Big Deal About Date Night?

In the beginning, most couples have no trouble to sticking with a weekly date night. It's a great way to go out and do fun stuff together -- as a couple. It's time to get out of the house and break the routine a bit. However, time marches on. Children come into the picture. Budgets get strained. Economies tumble. The weekly ritual of date night takes a backseat to diaper duty, PTA meetings, and extra shifts at work. Then the marriage starts to crumble bit by bit. Is all this really the result of no longer having date night? It could be. Date night is more important than many couples realize on the surface. But why is it so important? 

Date Night Helps You Stay Connected 

We live in an amazingly connected world. We have laptops, mobile phones, tablet devices, instant messages, Facebook status reports, Twitter feeds and countless other methods to stay connected on-the-go. With all that connectivity, the human connection often gets lost in the mix. People ignore the person sitting across the room in order to connect with someone thousands of miles away they haven't seen in fifteen years. Date night, takes all that away and leaves the two of you alone to connect with one another -- no matter what else is going on in your worlds. 

Allows You to Spend Time Together as Lovers 

Date night is about being alone together. More importantly, it's about going out, away from the house (and the responsibilities that live in that house) and spending time together as lovers. It's a change to hold hands, to have adult conversations, and to, dare I say it, FLIRT with one another. It's time to be man and woman rather than MOM and DAD. It's important because it helps you remember why the two of you fell in love in the first place. 

Forces You to Make Time for Each Other 

One of the most important things you need to do, for the sake of your marriage, is make time for each other. In putting your family first, which is an admirable quality in any family, it's very important to remember that your spouse if your family too. He or she needs your time just as much as each and every one of your children. Date night, gives you one night, out of seven, to spend time together. It shouldn't be too much to ask -- no matter how busy your lives become. 

If you really want to maximize the effectiveness of date night, avoid topics of conversation involving school, work, family, and calendars -- unless you're discussing an upcoming romantic getaway that you're both excited about. Date night is your opportunity to rev up the romance engine in your relationship. Don't take it for granted.