Why we started regular date nights
We hit a crisis point before we realised the need to make time for each other. Having a baby changed everything. After making it through the “newborn” months, we talked about feeling like we were getting the hang of the ‘parenting thing’, but our relationship had kind of fallen by the wayside as we went through the motions every day of keeping our new human alive. My mum bought around a book called “And a baby makes three”. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that we’d got to a point where we needed a self-help book… But it was there in our house, so one day I got over myself and read it. I realised that it’s easy to get competitive and resentful about who does what, but at the end of the day we’re both on the same side, trying to do what’s best for our family in our own way. We both try to be empathetic towards each other, and prioritise making time for each other outside of the daily grind – because now I understand that relationships don’t just exist – they are living things that require care and maintenance. We should have been doing this before we had a baby. You get out what you put in.