In the almost 2 years I have been a parent, I have learned that parenthood can be very trying on a marriage! I have an amazing, supportive, and very hands-on husband and still we find ourselves missing our connection that we once had before coming parents. Its hard when you spend every free moment chasing after a wild-haired 2 year old! You go to bed mentally and physically drained and all you want is sleep! And when said 2 year old has sleeping issues and wants to snuggle in between mommy and daddy, it only complicates things. If you aren’t careful, it is so, so easy to let your marriage slide to the back burner! To help us out, we have instituted date nights every other Monday and while we don’t do anything fancy, it is so nice to just be together and have a REAL conversation!
So to help us out – and other married folks out there – we have a guest poster to give us some tips on keeping our marriages alive!
5 Tips for a Mindful Marriage
Guest Blogger: Jessica Stilling is a freelance journalist who also writes on schooling online as well as taking classes online
So you still remember when the thought of that white dress made joyful butterflies bounce inside your stomach. You can still recall when dinner and a movie was the most passionate date on earth, but now, things are winding down. That honeymoon phase, the part before the kids became stressful and the job stepped in to take its proper place within the marriage, is coming to a close. This is a good thing, you’re not going to be living in fantasy love land forever and reality love land is just as enjoyable if you understand that reality love land is a different place from fantasy. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you exit that honeymoon phase and move on to the jobs and kids and school schedule phase of your journey together. I promise it will be just as good, if not better.
- Take time to communicate. When you and your spouse are standing across the great divide that is your kitchen in the morning, take a few seconds to discuss each other’s days, plan your schedules, see what the other might want to grab for dinner or watch on TV. You don’t have to be planning a romantic night out or discussing all the problems of the world to catch a few moments of couple time.
- Take time for yourself. Being a spouse and parent, an employee and a friend, or any of the other countless hats you wear, is going to take its toll. You have to learn to take time for yourself, even if it’s fifteen minutes after you get home from work before you start planning dinner. Take some time to reflect on your day on your own, this way you’ll be less stressed and more willing to deal with your family’s issues and your spouse’s needs.
- Take time for your spouse. Just like you should take time for yourself, you should take time for your spouse as well. Ask him how his day was, see if he wants to make any interesting plans. Let your spouse know that you’re listening, because it’s only when you’re truly listening that he’ll be willing to open up.
- Take time to cherish your family. Just like you need alone time and time with your spouse, your family will also bring you closer. Take time to watch the kids play on their floor if they’re very young, or go to your son’s basketball game together and have ice cream afterward. This is the reason you’re together, this is what makes your life happy and so take time together to cherish it.
- Take time to understand and appreciate each other’s uniqueness. You did not marry a clone of yourself, in fact if you had, you’d probably not get along very well. Your spouse has a unique self, a self that you fell in love with because he was not like any of the other people that you’d ever known. Take time to cherish and understand that uniqueness. Also, allow your partner to see and understand the uniqueness in you. Sometimes as that honeymoon phase ends and life becomes life, we forget all the wonderful reasons we’re together, the reasons that are still prevalent if we take the time to see them.
One thread moves throughout these suggestions, time. Sometimes as life throws us curveballs and that job starts to take up more of our time, we forget to make time for the things that are really important. We forget to see the family that is right in front of us, or the husband who is also lover and confident and friend. It’s when we move through life, getting things done for the sake of getting them done, that we miss out on so much. That is why the key to a mindful marriage is making time for the marriage.
Wonderful post! It’s so important to nurture your marriage while you are raising kids. Your relationship with your spouse can get lost so easily in the chaos, but is probably the most important thing in the long run!
Thanks Stacy! You are absolutely correct! The chaos of parenting can easily overshadow your marriage if you aren’t careful!
All great tips. My Husband and I have dealt with a lot throughout our marriage, but we remain close by using many of these tips. Thanks! Blessings, Joanne
We’ve only been married close to 6 years but we have definitely had our share of “life experiences” and tips like these really help out! This has been the perfect week to be reminded of these things!
I recently told my husband one night that I appreciated him doing all the “husbandly” jobs, like the yardwork, taking out the trash, and doing the finances. I could do these things if I needed to, but it’s nice that he does it without me asking. After eight years of marriage, he told me that was the first time I ever said that. Sometimes the obvious just needs to be said…thanks for the reminder.