Why is dating your spouse important now that you are Empty Nesters? Well, now it’s just the two of you and creating time for each other is just as important as making time for you. When you make time for your spouse you are telling him/her that they matter. They matter enough to stop what you are doing and focus on them. Whether that is for a conversation, a date night in or a night on the town. Letting them know that you’d still choose them is an important part of strengthening your marriage.

Date night ideas:

1 – Go out to eat – duh I know! But hear me out. Don’t just pick that same place you go every time you have a free night out, but pick something NEW! Try a new cuisine you have not had before. Pick a restaurant that has an exciting concept. Try eating at a place that has activities included in the meal (think theatre, golf, entertainment). Is there someplace nearby that has an amazing ambiance? Give it a try! Going out to dinner is an easy one – I know. But it also allows you to focus on each other for the evening. No one is stressed about getting the meal on the table, no one has to clean a messy kitchen, and no one is disappointed in the meal. Well, unless you order poorly I guess.

2 – Find an activity you both enjoy. We have tried a few different things and we have loved them all!

We have tried:

Golf

Ballroom Dance Lessons

Cooking Class

All of these different actives allowed us to try something new together! We started golfing when the pandemic hit and there was not much else to do that summer. We found we both enjoyed the sport and it didn’t matter that we were not equally matched, we just enjoyed being outside and active. Brian got me the dance lessons for a Christmas gift one year. He knew I had always wanted to learn and our local community center was offering lessons so he jumped on it. We had a blast laughing with each other and (let’s be honest) at each other as we learned something new that we had no experience with before hand. As for the cooking class; that is great because you learn new cooking skills and then at the end of the class – you eat what you made!

3 – Date nights are in are great too. No need to go out and spend a lot of money, you can have fun in your own home with not a lot of expense. You can play board games, make a new recipe together, watch a movie together, binge a series…or whatever you can dream up! One of our favorites is to set up our outdoor movie projector and get a fire going in the fire pit. Watching a movie under the stars is always a hit.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure that both of you take turns planning. It is important that both of you have a say in the dates. Be sure to do things that are out of your comfort zone from time to time so that you share new experiences together. Plan things that make you laugh, having fun together will help remind you why you picked each other in the first place.

One last tip – make a schedule. Decide how often you would like to schedule your date nights and stick to it. Will you go out once a month? Once a week? Whatever works for you is perfect – but be sure to stick to it. Get your dates on the calendar and start planning how you will connect with your spouse with each new experience.

Have fun Empty Nesters…