Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Starting a family is a very joyful time. Bringing home that little bundle of joy can be one of the happiest moments in your and your spouses lives. Although we may be so overwhelmed with the joy of becoming a parent that it can put our relationship with our spouse in a strain. But you can still have a healthy relationship with a little work.
Having a healthy relationship with each other is very important especially when you have children. Children see everything their parents do and a lot of the time mimic behaviors they see. So when you cultivate a healthy relationship it benefits our children’s futures with the one they love and therefore should be a top priority in our lives.
My husband and I have three kids ages Nine, Six, and Four so finding time to spend with each other is difficult at times. As a stay at home mom our kids are with me constantly because we home school, so it gets emotional for us to let them stay the night at grandparents houses, even though the kids absolutely love going there and we would never prevent them from spending time with their Grandparents, we are just so used to them being with us at home that it feels weird with them not being with me. There have been times in the past we have taken trips without the kids and after day two of our getaway my husband and I are ready to come home because we miss the kids. But those trips are special to us and very important for cultivating our marriage to allow us to grow closer and give us time to focus on us and spend time with each other. We have a blast and can’t wait to do it again because we know a healthy marriage needs those trips. When we can’t afford these mini getaways (which is a majority of the time) we watch TV together. I know that sounds kind of odd for some couples but we bond over it. We love movies and TV shows, and we have different genres of movies and shows we like, for example my Husband loves Political Dramas and Comedies whereas I prefer thrillers and mysteries, but we always find something to watch together in these areas as well.
Some Ideas To Spend Time Together
Low Cost ideas
-Watch a movie/ show together
-go on a picnic
– go for a drive
– play a board game
– cook a meal
– read a book
-go on a hike
-do a puzzle (if you’re spouse is like mine this is a long shot lol)
There are a lot of free or low cost ways to spend time with your spouse.
Paid Ideas
-go to the movies
-go to a flea market
-take a trip just the two of you
-go shopping,(go to a store that you like and go to a store that your spouse likes)
Another way to show your spouse what they mean to you is to surprise them. Any kind of surprise: a date, flowers, something they’ve been wanting, cleaning the house for them, etc. Telling each other you love each other on a daily basis, giving hugs, a special kiss, telling what they mean to you. Leaving your spouse a special note that will make them feel special.
We all need to maintain that healthy relationship with our spouse, especially when you’re a parent. Our children need to see what love is and the best way to see what that is is through their parents. Yes, parenting is hard, it is not an easy job. But when you have a healthy relationship with your spouse, parenting can be made a little easier. You don’t need money to enjoy life with your spouse.