Marital Talk

I received a comment that some of my ideas for couple time weren’t practical for a couple with a toddler. When I think of toddlers, I think of the way mine craves solitary time and doesn’t mind playing in her room by herself. I forget sometimes that some toddlers are non-stop bundles of energy. So I gave it some thought and here is what I came up with for couple time with a toddler around. Keep in mind this isn’t one on one time, but more like quality time with your toddler included. With the right frame of mind, and a high dose of caffeine to keep you awake, you can manage to get some unwinding, let’s talk about our grown-up lives time out of these ideas. If you have any more ideas please leave them in the comments section and I’ll add them to the post.

Take a walk- this allows you to throw your toddler in their stroller, grab your spouse’s hand, and talk their ear off. If you can muster up enough energy to do this right before your child’s bedtime, you may get lucky and they fall asleep and stay that way for the night. Then you have another opportunity to take advantage of couple time. If you’re to the point of exhaustion and want to sleep when your toddler does, well, there isn’t much I can do to help you with that.

Sit outside- My husband and I have spent many evenings sitting on the front porch watching the kids draw with chalk, pick flowers, play in the hose, jump on the trampoline and anything else fun they can do outside. They feel good because we’re watching them, and we get some quality time to talk or just sit together and enjoy each other’s company.

Put on a movie- Find something that completely entices your child. In this house anything with Elmo, Caillou, or John Travolta singing Summer Loving will work. Then cuddle up on the couch with your wife or husband and just enjoy being together.

Read a book- Cuddle up with your spouse, sit your toddler in your lap, and enjoy looking at a kid’s book together. You and your love get to spend some time together and enjoy spending time as a family. The best idea for this is to pick one of those large books with different photographs and just let your toddler flip through it on their own and observe. You may even be able to sneak in some conversation or at least a few kisses.

Finally, ride bikes- This one is a stretch, I know. As a mother of a toddler one of the last things I want to do is physical activity with a 25lb. kid strapped behind me in a seat. But if you and your spouse are active and enjoy this type of activity, then oil up the bike chains and start pedaling. You won’t get to talk much, but you’ll get to enjoy doing something together and unwinding. That alone leads to a happier marriage because you’re able to relax together.

Good luck finding those precious moments that can so easily slip away once children come along.

marriage, couple time, kids, Elmo, Caillou, John Travolta