From the minute you said “I do” as a blushing bride, you had visions of a lifetime of wedded bliss.
You just knew that your marriage would be red hot and passionate regardless of what life threw your way.
You just knew your marriage would be different and SO unlike the ho-hum relationships you’d heard about from your friends.
As a young bride, I had the same thoughts and prayers for my relationship and truthfully, we started out strong but lost our way a bit.
Somewhere in between middle of the night feedings, temper tantrums and loads of baby clothes piling up, our marriage took a detour.
A few years into parenthood I wondered, “When did ‘slipping into something more comfortable’ involve baggy sweatpants and his old, ragged t-shirts?”
How did we become the typical married couple and more like roommates than the red-hot lovers I imagined?
Since those early parenting days, God has given me insight into healthy expectations for marriage with children, realizing we can thrive, not just survive, with little ones under our roof.
Fumbling through those baby years, juggling life, responsibilities as a spouse and mother, made me aware of the top five things I can do to prevent my marriage from being hijacked by my children.
Talk About Marriage: 5 Ways to Keep Kids From Hijacking Your Marriage
1. Guard conversations with your spouse.
Long gone are the lengthy conversations over a leisurely dinner, but that doesn’t mean I value his thoughts and opinions any less.
In fact, I treasure our time connecting through conversations, and am taking measures to protect that time from child interruptions.
Ladies, show your spouse he matters by teaching children not to interrupt your conversations! While this is not an easy lesson, or even a fun one to teach for that matter, it’s a great life skill to instill and will show your child you place significance on your time with your spouse.
2. Date your mate (even if it’s at home!).
Between lack of time and money, date nights can be in short supply if you let these factors get in the way.
Fight for your marriage and enjoy each other again with an at-home date night once the kids are in bed.
Some of our favorite dates have been in the comfort of our own home; including a spa night, chocolate lovers taste test and a scavenger hunt.
It’s a creative, economical way to reconnect without the T.V. and technology, and will help you enjoy time with the one you love most.
