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Why You Should DATE Your Kids

By Lisa Gallarini - Publisher for Macaroni Kid Concord, NC August 24, 2017

I have five children and I can tell you that they are all completely different. Sometimes I feel I neglect them with my time. I want to be with every single one of them at every moment. As a busy mom, that is just not possible. Sometimes I feel guilty; so the best thing I could ever do is set aside time with each child for a date night. 

It does not have to be anything extravagant, or it can be. Our date nights sort of happened by just doing normal chores. I took my son to the grocery store with me and he talked the whole way there, through the store, and the whole way back. I asked him if he was hungry and for once he did not have to compete with his sisters for where he wanted to eat. Instead of doing takeout, we sat down and had dinner together. It was so nice to give him my undivided attention and listen to all that was on his mind. It was the most amazing feeling ever, so I decided to start taking each child on date nights.

I like to find out what each child loves to do and plan something around that. My oldest daughter is a mom herself, so it is hard to get the much-needed time with her. She loves candles and books like me. We end up talking about our children (my grandchildren). One of my other daughters loves to eat, like me, so we just find good food to shove in our face. We eat and talk about how we need to exercise; it is great. I have four girls and one boy. Two girls are older and then there was some time before I had my next three littles. I like to call them "chidlers" thanks to the movie BFG. It is not a typo, I promise. 

The age of the children really depends on the sort of date. Sometimes it is fast food, the park, and the library. Sometimes it is riding bikes, ice cream, and the pottery shop to paint. That is what is so fun about date night with the kids. 

Some people feel that children want toys and games, but I really feel they want to be heard by us, the parents. Taking them on a date allows them to talk to you without being interrupted and sometimes you learn something you never noticed before. It gives me the opportunity to learn about their hopes and dreams so I can support them as a parent. I walk away feeling so fulfilled. 

Like I said, it can be as simple as a trip to the grocery store. That seems to be what date night is for me and my husband these days. Just enjoy them while it lasts.