The TRUTH About Date Night When You Are Parents

Date Night. Two words that seem to slowly disappear out of your vocabulary as soon as you become a parent.

It’s not that you don’t want to have adult time without the kids and go to a nice dinner and a movie with the man of your dreams – it’s just one of those things that continually gets pushed to the side unless it is planned and written in permanent marker on the calendar.

You will always hear council to never stop dating – to make eachother laugh – to have alone time just the two of you – but until you become a parent, you don’t really understand how hard that actually is and what that really means.

Today we have a list of 10 TRUTHS about date night when you are parents. These are the real-deal, non-filtered facts about dating after becoming a mom and a dad.

Photo by Canico Studios 

1. THE THINGS YOU WEAR: Remember your dates in high school when you would spend four hours to do your hair and plan out an outfit? And then you got married and you would spend two hours to do your hair and plan out an outfit? And then you became a mom. Where it is completely normal to have moments where you realize you brushed your hair three days ago and wore the same shirt you are wearing now…yesterday?

When it comes to date night, you 100% realize that your normal momiform that you usually rock isn’t exactly appropriate date night attire so you do your best at looking your best for your man! And heck, it’s a fun excuse to FINALLY let down that mom bun you’ve been rockin for days!

By rummaging through your closet slash “piles of laundry stacked to the ceiling”, you find an outfit that makes you look and FEEL your best, all while sharing your makeup bag with the littles who want to “look pretty like mommy” as they spread your lipstick across the counter tops and all over their faces. You bring your normal mom bun hair that your husband hates, down to pretty curls and dust off the heels that you haven’t touched since last date night. Feeling fabulous and ready for a night out with your man – you grab your purse and are ready to jet out of that place you call home!

2. WALKING OUT THE DOOR: But then you remember you are still a mom. Even though leaving right this second would be ideal – leaving for a date night as parents isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not just a “grab your phone and clutch and run out the door” kind of night.

Between bathing the kids before you leave and picking up the babysitter, then putting together emergency information and instructions all while feeding the kids whatever you can find in your cupboards at the moment and realizing you desperately need to go grocery shopping – your night begins a little crazy. But you continue to press forward excitingly as you get to have a WHOLE night, alone with your man, child-less. What more could you ask for?!

3. THE PLACES YOU GO: As childless parents for the night, you feel like you are Rapunzel escaping from her tower. Oh where oh where could you possibly go?! You feel as if the sky is the limit and you are honestly happy with ANYTHING, ANYWHERE because you feel so good just getting away for a little bit. You are thinking it would be fun maybe even try someplace new?!

So your husband suggests a place – and you reply, “Anything, but that place.” So he suggests another place and you reply, “Umm…anything but that place too.” Thirty minutes later you finally end up at the same place you have ended up the last three date nights together…and you love it.

4. A TABLE FOR THREE: The babysitter may cancel. Or you may not even be able to find one. Or maybe you will realize that babysitters are super expensive and you don’t want to pay for one. Orrrr maybe you just don’t trust anyone to watch your precious babe quite yet – so rather than a table for two, you’ll make it a table for three.

That’s the thing about date nights as parents – they come in all different shapes and sizes! A date night with extra littles is completely normal. Or a date night in your pajamas at home binge watching Netflix with pizza is completely normal too.

Photo from Pinterest

5. CONVERSATION TOPICS: As much as you say you won’t talk about the kids and no matter how hard you try… you will. Guaranteed. Absolutely. 100%. No denying it and not even possible NOT to. Your conversations pieces will cover pooping habits and other bodily fluids, along with how exhausted and starving you are.

6. THE WAY YOU LOOK AT HIM: And then you will have that moment. Where you realize you aren’t just looking at your boyfriend…your fiance…your husband… you are looking at the father of your children. How amazing is that?! You will fall more in love with him in an instant. You will realize that you would do anything for him and you are grateful that you get to go through this crazy life of parenthood TOGETHER…as a team. You wouldn’t have it ANY other way!

7. WHAT IS CONSIDERED “LATE”: You look at the clock and realize it is already 8:30pm and you are paying the babysitter by the hour. So you run. Not to mention the fact that it’s past your bedtime. It seems like both of you are normally passed out on the couch by 8:17pm these days.

8. ARRIVING AT HOME: As excited as you were to go on your date to get away – to be alone – to have some peace and quiet – you realize you actually missed your little one at home. All you did was think about them! All you did was talk about them! When you are with them, you just want a breather – but when you are away, you just want to be with them again.

So you sneak into their bedroom to give them a goodnight kiss. You wish you could hold them forever and hope they never grow up – that they will always stay your little baby.

9. A VISITOR IN BED: And then it happens. Rather than coming home to an empty bed for lovin’, you are greeted by two little eyes waiting to kick you in the head and take up the entire bed, while pushing mommy and daddy to the ends of the King sized bed. A little something like this…

Photo from Pinterest

10. HOW SPECIAL DATES ARE: Date night isn’t a thing of the past. It’s a thing of the present. It’s one of the most important parts of being married and being parents. Even though it’s a little harder to schedule it in – it is worth it. Whether it’s a fancy night out on the town with a candle lit dinner or a chinese take-out with a red box movie and the kids sleeping next to you – you realize that THIS is what date nights are all about. Being with the man that you love.

And it doesn’t take you long to realize how truly special date nights really are. In fact, they are even MORE special now as parents, than they ever were before.

You may also like 10 Reasons You Should LOVE Your Wife’s Mom Bun and 20 Things To Remember When Your Wife Is Overwhelmed.

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

March 30, 2016 by Danielle Davis | 2 Comments