Wife not happy with the level of romance in your relationship? Try these 10 easy date nights.
Bringing back the spark
How many times have your wife or girlfriend complained of not enough time together, or that the romance is gone? Anyone in a long-term relationship has probably heard that at one time or another. The reality is that if a very small investment of time can result in great benefits.
Time Commitment and Frequency
So what kind of time are we talking about? The planning itself is not particularly time consuming, and can be as simple as picking up a local newspaper while walking into the supermarket. Picking a reviewed restaurant from the pages of a local newspaper is an easy start. Date nights can probably be once every two weeks, and it is easiest to set them aside in advance. An arrangement with a babysitter can insure that you will follow through with the plan. Conversely, if you have activities that you want to ensure do not conflict, pick different recurring day. Like video games? Date nights on Fridays, Game night on Thursday is a great way to break up the week.
Top ten
The Traditional Dinner at a restaurant
1. Movie
2. Local Band
3. Dinner at home
4. Bowling
5. Trivia: Bar or Xbox
6. The Light Meal: Appetizers / Tapas and Drinks
7. The Bar Hop: Appetizers here, Dinner there, Dessert at the other place
8. Coffee and Dessert
9. Night at the Park
10. Baseball Game
Do's:
*Pick something that you are interested in as well. A lack of interest will make the event difficult for all. Be honest about the experience.
*Share - don't monopolize the trivia controller or all of the shrimp appetizer
*Cell phone on silent - check it at the end of the date or at reasonable intervals
*Pay attention / Focus - remember that this is likely 4-6 hrs of the month where you have to be "present". Not having your head in the game for this short time will make the experience worthless.
Don'ts
* Drive under the influence
* Check your watch - probably best just to leave it at home. Have her track the time.
Making it work
Key to making this work is to invest the time on a regular basis, and look forward to the date. Being positive will yield much better results. The alternative will just be a waste of everyone's time.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
For Guys: 6 parenting tips
Little guys getting the better of you? Try these 6 tactics for peace with the kids.
"At what point did they get the upper hand?"
As a parent, this thought probably ran through your head at some point. House is a mess, wailing of one or more kids, dinner isn't ready and no-one is happy. What happened? How can I take back control? You don't need a super-nanny to get back in the driver seat. Try these tactics starting right now!
The Tone
Start with the tone of the day. Kids will test your resolve from the first moment of the day. If you can withstand the initial assault and stand tall, the whole day will start out on the right foot. It is all too easy to "let things slide until I get my coffee", and it’s a slippery slope you will have trouble recovering from.
The Timer
Sharing among siblings is one of the most common paths of strife in the home. A simple kitchen timer is surprisingly affective. 5 minutes and switch, 5 minutes and switch. Children actually respond surprisingly well to this method, enjoying the toy when they have it, and usually tire of waiting and find something else to play with in the off time.
The Counting
Get into the habit of asking once, and following up with a three count. If there is not compliance within the three count, send the child to a timeout location. Setting this precedent, especially early in the day, will often get compliance by the one or two count later in the day. The counting also can have a calming effect on the counter as well, allowing the parent to make an unemotional decision on punishment. Your ability to remain or regain your calm is essential to your piece of mind.
The Time Out
Surprisingly effective in most cases, the timeout can often defuse a situation and allow the child to regain their composure. Most sources will recommend starting timeouts at 2 years of age, with the duration be the age in minutes. For example, a four year old will have a four-minute timeout. The timer can be used, or a quick glance at the clock.
The Time out escalation
When the child misbehaves in time out, change locations, preferably to a more isolated but safe location.
The Whining
One of the most irrupting childhood habits is the "whining" speech pattern that many children will adopt. Often telling the child "I can't hear you when you whine" is very effective in changing that habit.
The Questions
Often to make conversation, a child will ask a large number of "Why" questions. A good tactic is to reverse the roles. Ask the child why they think the sky is blue. Alternatively, ask them where we're driving. You will get some very interesting answers, and the child will achieve their goal of interaction.
"At what point did they get the upper hand?"
As a parent, this thought probably ran through your head at some point. House is a mess, wailing of one or more kids, dinner isn't ready and no-one is happy. What happened? How can I take back control? You don't need a super-nanny to get back in the driver seat. Try these tactics starting right now!
The Tone
Start with the tone of the day. Kids will test your resolve from the first moment of the day. If you can withstand the initial assault and stand tall, the whole day will start out on the right foot. It is all too easy to "let things slide until I get my coffee", and it’s a slippery slope you will have trouble recovering from.
The Timer
Sharing among siblings is one of the most common paths of strife in the home. A simple kitchen timer is surprisingly affective. 5 minutes and switch, 5 minutes and switch. Children actually respond surprisingly well to this method, enjoying the toy when they have it, and usually tire of waiting and find something else to play with in the off time.
The Counting
Get into the habit of asking once, and following up with a three count. If there is not compliance within the three count, send the child to a timeout location. Setting this precedent, especially early in the day, will often get compliance by the one or two count later in the day. The counting also can have a calming effect on the counter as well, allowing the parent to make an unemotional decision on punishment. Your ability to remain or regain your calm is essential to your piece of mind.
The Time Out
Surprisingly effective in most cases, the timeout can often defuse a situation and allow the child to regain their composure. Most sources will recommend starting timeouts at 2 years of age, with the duration be the age in minutes. For example, a four year old will have a four-minute timeout. The timer can be used, or a quick glance at the clock.
The Time out escalation
When the child misbehaves in time out, change locations, preferably to a more isolated but safe location.
The Whining
One of the most irrupting childhood habits is the "whining" speech pattern that many children will adopt. Often telling the child "I can't hear you when you whine" is very effective in changing that habit.
The Questions
Often to make conversation, a child will ask a large number of "Why" questions. A good tactic is to reverse the roles. Ask the child why they think the sky is blue. Alternatively, ask them where we're driving. You will get some very interesting answers, and the child will achieve their goal of interaction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
