Date Night with your Rockin' Tots

Since it's Valentine’s Day, I am sure you've been inundated by messages of gift ideas and date nights. But Morgan and I wanted to share with you a different kind of date night - the ones we have with our kids.

I have two rockin’ tots in my life - Sebastian, 7, and Anina, 2. Date nights with my husband and I have always been tough to accomplish, but like most parents, we try our best. However, once Anina was born, we noticed right away that there was another relationship that we needed to pay close attention to and that was the one with our kids. SG (Sebastian’s nickname), was used to having to compete with our busy work schedules, but now he was competing with another human, and a super needy one at that. While he was beyond thrilled to have a baby sister (he had been asking for one for years), everything was changing for all of us and I wanted to try and make one thing consistent. So we implemented a “date night.” Not for my husband and I but for our kids. Once a month, I would take SG and my husband would take Anina for some one-on-one time. Then the next month we would switch! It was rarely anything big: sometimes we would grab a movie (usually LEGO themed of course), or just some pancakes (because breakfast is best served any time of day).

Now we are 2 years into being a family of four, and while our growing businesses demand more of our time, as well as Sebastian’s never-ending hockey season, we have let date night slip here and there. But I truly do believe it has helped us maintain some sense of sanity and togetherness. It is so interesting to see how Anina operates without her big brother to show her the way, and, likewise, how SG lets himself be crazy without worrying his sister will try something she is not ready for. So this Valentine’s Day, we will be getting back to our version of date night - SG and I are headed to see, you guessed it, LEGO Movie 2, and my husband and Anina are going ice skating. 

Do you have kids date night? Share some of your favorite ideas with us!