8 Ways to Make it the Best Date Night Ever
Last week I released the 2016, New & Improved, 124 Killer Date Night Ideas Guide downloadable PDF. If you haven't gotten it yet, click here to jump on over to the post and download the guide.
Now that you have your date night guide, it's worth spending a few minutes defining and talking about "date night." I looked up the phrase "date night" and found a definition from the fine folks at Urban Dictionary. A date night is "A time when a couple can take time for themselves away from children and responsibilities. While often occurring at night, a Date Night can happen during day hours as well. Not to be confused with a Date, as that is between unmarried couples solely."
A few comments on their definition:
AGREE: I like that they include taking time away from responsibilities. Whether or not you have kids, a date night should be time away from work, house stuff, email and responsibility. It ideally becomes a time when you enjoy some one-on-one time with your significant other.
DISAGREE: I don’t like that the definition includes children. While for parents this is true, the definition implies that couples without kids are not on date nights. FALSE. A date night is for any couple, not just for those with children.
AGREE: I love that the definition includes day hours and not just night. There are many times when Kristen and I enjoy a 'date night’ with each other during the day, maybe at lunch while all four kids are in school.
DISAGREE: I disagree with the component of parsing out ‘date’ from date nights, by saying dates are for unmarried couples only. I love taking my wife out on a date.
To be clear, if you’re married, date nights/dates should be only for you and your spouse and should not include someone else outside of your family.
By the way, a date or date night can be expanded to include kids as well. For example, sometimes I take each one of my four boys on a daddy date, where we get away from responsibilities, other family members and enjoy some one-on-one time.
So, now that we know what a date night is, what do you do on a date night? I have written several other date night posts before which you can access here and here, but today I want to further unpack some ideas for a killer date night.
Here are 8 Ways to Make it the Best Date Night Ever!
1. Know WHY you date your significant other.
You date to be counter-cultural (Romans 12:2).
You date to show your spouse you prioritize them over all other human relationships (Genesis 2:24-25).
You date to have fun and enjoy one another (Ecclesiastes 9:9).
You date so you can have intentional time to talk, laugh and enjoy each other (Proverbs 18:2).
2. You must plan in advance. Date nights don’t often happen spontaneously, especially if you have kids. Get out your calendars, pick some days or nights, get a sitter if you need one, and stick to your date once you get the time finalized.
3. Talk with your significant other about what constitutes a date. Does Chick-Fil-A or Starbucks count as a date night? How about watching a movie or college football at home with a bowl of popcorn and no kids around?
Discuss with your significant other and make sure you’re on the same page.
I once heard it said that men report going out on dates much more often than women. Hmmmmm... Expectations!
4. Choose active rather than passive. In other words, do more than just dinner or dinner and a movie. Walk around, hike, explore, rent a tandem bike together. Go sky diving, Rocky Mountain climbing and see if you can go more than 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu (name that song below, on Instagram or on Facebook and tell me your favorite date destination and I’ll enter your name into a drawing for some cool prizes!).
5. Try novel experiences rather than routine. If you’re going out for dinner, go to a different part of town or try a different type of food than you have ever eaten before.
6. Sometimes the best date nights are relatively cheap. Again, think outside the box.
7. For married couples only: book a hotel in town through Priceline! We love getting a quick overnight without kids, especially if we can find a nice hotel for a good price. Also try the app ‘Hotel Tonight’ where you can find nice hotels in most major cities last minute for a good price!
8. Last tip: Bring your significant other and leave your conflict at home. Resolve whatever you need to resolve before or after you leave. Try to make your date night a time when you can enjoy being in each other’s presence without your email, children, responsibilities or conflict.
Your Turn:
If you’re already subscribed to this blog, you should have the 124 Killer Date Night Ideas Guide already in your paws. If you’re not, then go ahead and click here to access it through last week's post. To get the guide you’ll be asked for your name and email address. That way every new post I write will be delivered right to your inbox. When you subscribe, you will get an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Confirm away and then the Date Night Guide will arrive in your inbox!
Talk through some of the items above: What's a date night? How can we better plan ahead?
Look back at #4 above and leave a comment to get entered into a drawing for some great prizes!