Parenting is hard. Marriage is hard. Life is hard.
As Dusty and I became parents with Ollie a few years ago, we knew that we did not want to be that married couple that revolved around our kids. We did not want to be passing through one another's lives, yet living separately. We wanted to keep "us" first, then our kids. And because of that, we have stuck to a routine date night ever since.
Date nights are important. A study by The National Marriage Project called ‘The Date Night Opportunity’ confirmed the effectiveness of a weekly date night. When it comes to dating, most people think of it only being necessary when you first meet someone. A lot of us don’t think of dating that same person whom we’ll be spending our lives with.
After reviewing this study, here are the top 5 great reasons the study found to make time for a weekly date night:
- Couples who had ‘couples time’ weekly, were more likely to have higher quality relationships and lower divorce rates than those who didn’t.
- Couples who had a new baby, but had a weekly date night were half as likely for their marriage quality to decline.
- Couples who had a date night once a week were 3.5 times more likely to be very happy in their marriages. Even couples who were living together were 4 times more likely to be happy in their relationships than couples with no weekly date night.
- Wives who had date nights less than once a week were 4 times more likely to be divorce-prone. Additionally, husbands who had date night less than once a week were 2.5 more likely to be divorce prone.
- Having a date night helps spouses to reclaim both their individual identity and their identity as a couple. Much of the time they are too busy being a worker, mom, and friend to remember to focus on who they want to be as people, and as a couple.
Thank you, PinkBlush, for sponsoring this post. I was selected for this opportunity by PinkBlush but honestly and truthfully have loved their clothing for years; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
A lot of couples make excuses for not having date nights. They say they don’t have the time, the energy, or even the money for weekly date nights. But there are so many free things you can do for dates. Ideally, you should go out of the house for date night, but spending conscious date night at home is still better than skipping it altogether.
For me personally, breast feeding and "what to wear" were major contributors. I never felt like I could get away, and if we did, I felt confined to looking and feeling pretty in my new-ish momma bod. And that's where PinkBlush came in!
PinkBlush was one of my favorite places to shop while I was pregnant. I enjoyed their styles and felt confident in them, yet felt sad in all of my old clothes once I graduated into post- post-maternity clothing. My pre-baby clothes just did not fit right anymore once I had kids.
Recently, I snagged a few styles from PinkBlush and I have been so happy with my choices. They have been great for date nights, as well as some work events that I have had recently. We even were able to capture some family photos in one of my tops as well!
It was important to me not only to go on, and continuing going on date nights as we transitioned into parenthood, but also to feel great while I was at it! Check out PinkBlush for these styles and many more. From plus sizes, maternity, and now even baby and kids clothing, they truly have great styles at affordable prices for everyone!
