Marriages are tough; you really have to work at any long term relationship, and when you add kids to the mix it can be even harder to find the time to maintain the relationship that created the little darlings. Studies show that making time for just the two of you is important to keep the flames of love glowing, and what better way than to take a vacation without your children.
Some people believe that taking the time to vacation without the kids, even just for a weekend, can really do wonders for your marriage, and we think they might be onto something. Here are a few things that you can do when you vacation as a couple and leave the kids with grandma:
Find What Makes YOU Happy!
Many parents put their own happiness on the back-burner in order to keep their kids happy, and while this is admirable, it might actually be counterproductive. Taking even a weekend or two to meet your own needs and goals, to be just you (rather than “mom” or “dad”) can be great for your kids. When you vacation alone with your spouse you can do things together that make you happy, and if you can’t remember what those things are you can have fun trying to find what makes you happy. When you do this your children benefit, too. When youngsters see their parents happy in their marriage and life at a young age it sets a good example as well as making your interactions with them inherently more positive
Remember Why You Fell In Love and Have Fun together
When kids arrive on the scene most parents change their definition of “fun” to suit the little ones and prioritize the entertainment of the kids over their own fun; this is great, but you should be able to have fun as adults, too! Even if you can’t take a full vacation alone, you should consider leaving the kids with relatives or the resort kids club for a day so that you can have fun as a couple. When you take the time to do this, you can rediscover each other and maybe even fall in love all over again; it’s so key that you keep all those things you love about each other in mind as you go through life, and vacations help you do this.
Get a GOOD Night’s Sleep
No-one appreciates the value of good sleep like a new parent, and you’ll rarely get so good a night’s sleep than when you vacation as a couple. Cat napping together is one of the underappreciated joys of life, and a really good way to build intimacy. As well as banishing the emotional and physical exhaustion of early parenthood, which is terrible for your love life, napping together will bring you closer together, and put some of the natural affection back into your relationship.
Be Intimate
Intimacy is so important to a marriage, and yet it’s often one of the first things to go when children enter the mix; parents feel they lack the time to kiss, hugs, touch, and hold hands, but it’s so key that you do. Not just for you and your relationship, but for your children; they need to know that affection is normal and healthy in marital relationships. Vacations together give you time to build intimacy and make such gestures a habit, and this can only be good for everyone in your family.
