By Lavender Williams, HRI Program Specialist
Do you remember your very first date with your partner? How nervous you were? How long it took you to find that just right outfit? Perhaps you were so nervous you were afraid the other person would notice your sweaty palms or bouncing leg underneath the table. Or, perhaps you were so excited you talked uncontrollably and couldn’t stop smiling afterwards. Either way, I’m sure you would say that was an exciting and emotional time.
Dating is about getting to know the other person as much as possible. During this stage, perhaps you see each other a few days a week. You go out of your way to squeeze in a lunch date, a late night dinner or a casual Saturday walk. You simply can’t wait to see that person, continue to learn about them and grow your relationship. The dating stage is arguably one of the best stages of a romantic relationship. We at HRI believe it should also be a stage your relationship never exits.
Dating is not only about getting to know where the person was born, their most embarrassing memory or how many kids they want to have. It’s also about cultivating and maintaining romance and intimacy in the relationship. Especially if you’ve been in the same relationship for a significant amount of time, you have seen both you and your partner develop and change overtime. Taking time out to spend an evening with each other will give you opportunities to learn about those changes. As people are constantly changing and evolving, so should your relationship.
Yes, I’m very aware you have a lot on your schedule as it is. That is a common reason many couples don’t spend much time alone with each other. Between work, kids, grocery shopping, and community events it can be nearly impossible to find time for a night out with your partner. The way to combat these priorities is to add your relationship to the list of priorities. Making date nights a priority is a way to ensure you make time to get dinner, go for a walk, or see a movie.
We at HRI are passionate about improving relationships and we recognize that as time goes on in relationships, couples can get complacent. As demands pile up and routines develop, date night drops lower and lower on the list of things to do. We want to help you find ways to bring date night back into your relationship or improve it. Over the next few days, we will be sharing additional tips on date night. We hope you take some of these tips and integrate them into your relationship and recognize the importance of date night.