Your cart is currently empty!
To My Child-Free Friends:
Hey there! It’s been a while since we last caught up (work, life, and all that jazz), but I couldn’t help but notice your lovely Instagram post from last weekend. You and your partner looked so great, all dressed up and indulging in some fancy dining. You seemed relaxed, and that glass of wine you were holding looked simply delightful! It’s clear you were excited for your date night, enough to snap a selfie and caption it “#DateNight!” But here’s a little secret I wish I’d known before I became a mom: when you don’t have kids, every night can feel like a date night.
I know you might think that a date requires a fancy restaurant or a special outfit, but really, it’s all about spending quality one-on-one time with the person you love. Before kids, this is something you can do all the time! Whether it’s grabbing a quick pizza because cooking feels too exhausting or enjoying some frozen yogurt after hanging out with friends—those are both date nights! Even casual hikes, movie nights, or leisurely drives count. Your life right now, where you can spontaneously head out for an evening, is filled with little date opportunities.
As a parent, especially one whose little one isn’t a fan of babysitters, I often find myself yearning for those carefree date nights. Planning an outing for my husband and me takes serious effort. We have to schedule it months ahead, find a sitter, and hope our baby doesn’t get sick. If we finally manage to escape for a night, we end up at a nearby restaurant, checking our phones for emergencies, and racing back before my three-hour countdown begins (trust me, no one wants a milk-stained shirt and a crying baby!).
To cope, I’ve started calling all kinds of non-traditional outings “dates.” Watching Netflix in my comfy sweats while holding hands? That’s totally a date now! Running into each other at the grocery store before picking up the baby? As long as we’re sharing a cart, that’s a date too! Even chowing down on meatballs at Ikea while the little one naps in the stroller feels like a date if I can face my husband while we chat.
I know you might be tired of hearing how challenging parenting can be and how much it changes your freedom, but it’s true! While I wouldn’t trade my child for anything and the joy of motherhood is immeasurable, I do miss those spontaneous moments to connect with my partner more regularly.
So, my advice to you, dear child-free friends, is to savor those date nights while you can—or should I say, enjoy your date lives? And if you’re considering starting a family, check out this excellent resource for pregnancy and home insemination at March of Dimes. Plus, if you’re curious about boosting fertility, don’t miss this link to makeamom.com for fertility supplements. And for more about the journey ahead, you can visit our other blog post here.
Summary:
Embrace the joys of being child-free, where every night can be a date night filled with simple pleasures. As a parent, the spontaneity of those outings may become a cherished memory, but enjoying your time together now will create lasting bonds.