One of the many challenges I find is how to prioritize the people and responsibilities in my life appropriately — especially when it comes to my husband and my kids. I’ll be the first one to say that I haven’t done a stellar job keeping up with everything in the past.
But maybe because of my mistakes, I have learned a few things. Most importantly, I’ve learned that our kids look up to us parents as role models. They watch how we talk to each other, how we spend time together, and they watch how we love each other. I truly believe children learn what they live.
For me, this translates into making sure I’m making my husband a priority during our busy schedules. (I’m not perfect at this, but knowing I need to be aware of it and making an effort helps our relationship.) Of course, my girls are my world and I love them with every ounce of my heart — however, we’ve learned as parents that we have to put our marriage as a top priority.
Here are a few things I’ve learned when it comes to making time with your significant other. I hope they might help you, too.
1. Make time for the two of you — No matter what is going on in life, take time to carve out some special time for you and your partner. Date night doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it does need to happen.
2. Take care of your significant other, not just your kids — This might sound silly, but sometimes I think we forget to take care of each other when things get busy. It’s easy to remember to take care of the kids, but just remember your spouse needs a little TLC, too.
3. Put the kids to bed — This is obviously a personal choice, but I often hear that parents let their kids stay up late and then never get to spend time together. Kids need rest, and mom and dad need some down time. In my experience, it’s healthier for kids to get their rest and for mom and dad to get their together time.
4. Say “I love you” often — You can never say “I love you” too much. Say it every day. Bonus: leave it on sticky notes to be found when your spouse least expects it.
5. Have fun — Laugh together and do fun things together. Last year, my husband and I dressed up as a WWI soldier and Rosie the Riveter for Halloween. We had a blast putting our costumes together, plus we got to have a fun night out. That’s one example, but, of course, we keep things simple most of the time. One of the easiest things that makes us laugh is when my husband and I spend an evening together watching old sitcoms on Netflix. There’s just something a good laugh can do for you both.