How Often Do You Have Date Night

How Often Do You Have Date Night (Full Version)

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[Poll]

More than once a week

11% (5)

Once a week

18% (8)

1 to 2 times a month

30% (13)

Couple times a year

11% (5)

Once a year

4% (2)

Never

11% (5)

What's Date night?

11% (5)

Total Votes : 43

(last vote on : 5/14/2008 3:50:34 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

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dradynsmom -> How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/26/2008 7:09:22 PM)
I was reading a book which said that married couple should make it a point to have date night atleast once a week. THis got me thinking because I sure don't have it that often. So how often do you have date night (married couples only please.)

dradynsmom -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/26/2008 7:11:02 PM)
I went first - date night for us usually consists of a movie and chinese. (we both love chinese) Steph

PrincessDonna -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/26/2008 9:14:45 PM)
We aim for at least once a month and maybe end up with once every other month. A 'date night' consists of any time we are out of the house together with only nursing infants along. It usually doesn't involve much money either.

ladyingrace1979 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 1:35:46 AM)
We would like to but having 3 kids and living on a very small income makes it difficult. I have been considering instituting a date day once a week. Since our kids are in school and dh has one day in his schedual (he is also in school) that has no afternoon classes, we could do a pic-nic or just go for a walk. If we are home one of us will be playing on the computer and the other will be doing housework or something equally distracting. Thanks for starting this thread, it gave me a good idea Kim Q

3cappuccinosmom -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 8:01:40 AM)
We didn't have "dates" even when we were courting. We have been married nearly 6 years and have gone out once without our kids--because we had acoupon for two free meals. [8D]

soukz8696 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 8:17:49 AM)
We aim for date night once a week but usually get it once or twice a month. We have 4 kids so our date night consists of after the kids are in bed. We make dinner together and sit with each other sometimes we find extra money to rent a movie and sometimes we just talk or watch a DVD we already have.

buckifn -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 9:36:07 AM)
at least 3 times a week...but that is a lot easier when your kids are now adults.

fist.sensei -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 9:46:04 AM)
Right now we do activities with friends on one of our days off together (she has class those days but not past 2pm), and date night is thursday each week. Once 'junior' is here, the plan is once a week minimum, and once every 6-8 weeks go away for an entire weekend. Of course my mom doesn't work and her parents live three blocks away... so we are blessed with practically unlimited childcare.

scottmcc1 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 10:05:29 AM)
We don't schedule time together. Going for walks is mainly what we do. We rarely go out on the town (spending money). Bible discussion and prayer are quality times. With 2 teenagers its easier when they were little we went to the parks as a family. Family devotions was always a good time for us.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 10:38:10 AM)
we don't get out alone very often....we have four kids (#5 due in a few months)... I nurse for at least the first year, so anywhere I am baby must go too...we are military and live nowhere near any family or friends (move often so it's hard to make friends when you move as often as we do, esp friends we would trust to leave our kids with). So when you factor it all in, we don't get away alone very often. Last Christmas we were visiting my mom and went out on our own to buy the kids some stuff...so I guess that was our last "date". Before that was when we were all alone at the hospital when baby #4 was born (he is now 21mo). Before that we lived in Germany...no friends or family...hubby was deployed during that time and training before the deployment, so he was gone most of the time. So I think the only date we had during our two and a half years there in Germany was right before he deployed (we kid swapped with a neighbor/friend). Before that, I can't remember too much....not very often though. So in the past five years we have gone out on a "date"...3 times. We have plenty of time at home though after the kids go to bed...last summer we spent many nights out in the pool after they were in bed. So are you considering that a "date night" too, or just going out to be a "date"

mmartiandt -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 10:55:06 AM)
Even when we were dating, we didn't do many "dates", in that go out, spend money, do something sense of the word. We called it a date when we got to work out together, when he came over and I cooked for him, when we got to chat online uninterrupted (He lived 40 minutes away). So, in thinking of this date night question, I would say nearly every night. It's just the two of us, I normally cook something special for him, we chat about our days, watch tv together, sometimes work out together. Once we're both home from work, its "us" time, and except for odd meetings I have in the evenings, that happens nearly every night. Does that count as date nights? [;)]

HisCovenant -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 11:56:31 AM)
I voted for 1-2x/ month and it usually involves going out to dinner alone. We don't have children , so I don't know that a date night is as important for us as for some. We have a relationship like mmartiandt describes. To be sure, we can still get busy and ignore each other in living life, so date night is still a good thing. I think it depends on the relationship as to how important it is. You can have children and never have a date night while maintaining a good relationship with your spouse... Or you can not have kids and focus on other stuff to the detriment of you marriage. Dating can be an effective tool or an unnecessary one.

karlie -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/27/2008 12:36:15 PM)
When our kids were little and at home, we had a date night once a week. My parents lived nearby and stayed with the kids so we could have a couple of hours alone. Even when money was tight, we did this, even if it was only a drive or to sit in the park and talk for awhile. I personally think it was invaluable time and helped us keep our relationship alive and strong all these years. I think special alone time can be accomplished at home though, if there aren't other options and you work at making it happen. I think it's very important for couples to take time as just that...a couple, no matter where they do that. Too many parents forget that they were a couple before they were parents, and will remain a couple long after their kids are gone. Staying connected takes more than just living in the same house. That's one bit of advice I took from Mom and I don't regret it for a second. Now that the kids are grown and money isn't so tight, we have 3-4 dates a week, and sometimes more. We meet for lunch a lot, or go to dinner or breakfast. Sometimes a movie or something like that, but it's usually a simple meal out and maybe some errands. Even though we get all the alone time we need now at home, there's just something fun and relaxing in being out and away from all other distractions.

42servehymn -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/28/2008 8:15:04 PM)
I think it can put a lot of pressure on a couple to try to keep up with a weekly date night. We have been married almost 25 years and have lived on a very modest income for most of those years. The financial strain that a weekly date night would have placed on us would not have been worth the effort. What we have done over the years is to just enjoy any and all stolen moments that we could get and if we were able to find ourselves without children we would do something cheap or free. Now we are almost empty nesters and we have a lot of opportunities for dates. Sometimes we do something outside the house but because we have spent so many years waiting for alone time pretty much anything we do together is enjoyable whether it is cooking dinner, cleaning house, going for a bike ride or just hanging out together doing nothing. Date nights don't necessarily make you closer as a couple but enjoying each others company does.

Christian30 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/29/2008 3:11:51 AM)
Like 42Servehymn, we didn't have a lot of nights out to ourselves when our kids were little... hardly any. We simply all loved to be together, and we loved the baby and little kid years (especially me, the husband/father). However, what we didn't realize was that we NEEDED to take that time for ourselves, so if I had those years to do all over again, we would have more of those nights, as well as work on our marriage in other ways. Some years ago we realized we'd grown apart, and now we are more actively working on our marriage. Couples do need time to themselves, I am convinced. As we're hitting empty nest years, I'm babysitting little ones, but not for $$$. The cost can make it such a burden for young couples to get out.

42servehymn -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/29/2008 6:44:23 PM)
Christian30 that is a very important ministry. I'm sure you are a blessing to those marriages that that you provide free childcare for.

dradynsmom -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/29/2008 7:20:50 PM)
Hey this is making me feel better. I'm in the norm! (not that i am at all normal)LOL Thank you guys so much for the post - it is giving me lots of ideas for other date nights. And I have trouble with the babysitting thing too. My mom will babysit for free but she lives 28 miles away and with the price of gas that isn't exactly free - ya know what i mean.

Christian30 -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/29/2008 7:21:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: 42servehymn Christian30 that is a very important ministry. I'm sure you are a blessing to those marriages that that you provide free childcare for. Thanks for the encouragement. The children are a blessing to me too, and I enjoy the relationships with the parents as well. I'm at least as blessed.

legalnicki -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/29/2008 11:56:19 PM)
We don't have date nights b/c we don't have a babysitter. I try to schedule a weekly lunch on Fridays when he gets to leave early, but we don't always do that (sometimes he'd rather just come home and play his video game [:'(] )

car2ner -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/30/2008 5:51:55 AM)
Perhaps you can find a video game you both enjoy. Keep in mind it takes about a seven days of play just to get used to the controls. But if your sweetie is patient, it is worth a few days of frustration for the good time you'll end up having together. <---- M'love and I on our game, although our look has changed since I took the screen shot.

legalnicki -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/30/2008 10:20:13 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: car2ner Perhaps you can find a video game you both enjoy. Keep in mind it takes about a seven days of play just to get used to the controls. But if your sweetie is patient, it is worth a few days of frustration for the good time you'll end up having together. <---- M'love and I on our game, although our look has changed since I took the screen shot. We have played together (LOTRO), but he is now a guild/kinship officer so all his time is on the game. I really just don't enjoy it as much as I used to because playing it typically means that other areas of our lives get neglected, but I do play sometimes - maybe once every week or two. I'd rather spend my time with the kids or earn extra money (working on my art). It's fine when I'm bored, but I'm sick of the hours he puts into it daily, starting right when he gets home from work. He likes the social aspect of it b/c it's MMORPG, but honestly I'd rather develop real-life friendships. We spend most evenings apart - him upstairs at the computer, and me downstairs in my studio.

Rayoh -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/30/2008 11:27:48 AM)
We don't go do stuff like eat out etc.. very often simply because we can't afford it. We do things together,though, like riding the four wheeler, fishing etc..That is as much togetherness as sitting across from each other at a restaurant. I don't think of that stuff as a date,though. Just what married people do. Spend time together. Like someone else mentioned even when were dating before getting married we didn't go out and do a lot of things.

MrsLavender -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/30/2008 2:15:08 PM)
My husband and I try to have a date night or date morning breakfast at least once a week. We don't always go out to eat. Sometimes we will just go some place special for a walk or go window shopping. Making "us" a priority has truly changed our marriage. :)

JimboFletch -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (4/30/2008 2:23:33 PM)
Friday has been our date night since early in our marriage even when our, now adult, children were small. We take turns choosing a restaurant. We might take in a movie afterwards, but we mainly just spend time together.

LoyalFriend -> RE: How Often Do You Have Date Night (5/1/2008 8:36:00 AM)
We are a couple with no kids and I think date night is important, because by the time I get home from work at night and cook dinner it's TV time for my husband right afterwards. I enjoy a handful of TV shows were as he likes TV 7 days a week. So, going to dinner, movies or somewhere is important.

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