10Nov2010
Is ‘Date Night’ the key to mid-week monotony?!
I was recently watching a pretty banal yet fascinating virtual reality show in which a married couple set aside one night a week for ‘date night’. It struck me that it seemed a good way to break up the daily/weekly grind of juggling work, kids, school, homework, laundry etc. Recently as the nights have drawn in I have got into the habit of falling onto the sofa at 10pm exhausted and watching half an hour’s rubbish telly before bed or even falling asleep with one of the kids after storytime!
I duly arranged for my parents to babysit, a friend had also offered, to cut the cost down and booked some cheap tickets for a comedy show. I have to say it was great to get out and have a real laugh without spending a total fortune. Being on a school night made it feel even more special in a funny way!
I realised how easy it is as a busy parent to get sucked into the trap of doing so much family stuff that there’s sometimes not much time, energy or money leftover for anything else!
So, having done it, I can thoroughly recommend the odd ‘date night’ – not sure if we can stretch to every week. For those single parents out there it could obviously be a chance to meet a new partner or just have a date with friends. I am personally determined to also be more organised with my mates to plan some fun evenings, even if it means having a laugh and a bite to eat at home with the kids tucked in bed – hopefully!!
