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Date Night
The Great Escape By Kendeyl Johansen
My toddler accidentally sparked a McDonalds Playland evacuation by coating a slide with diarrhea-diaper residue.
"What's the matter?" asked my husband, Lars.
I gulped. "I'm banned from Mc-" My words broke off abruptly as hormones from my twin pregnancy combined with his sympathetic look to unleash tears.
"That's it," Lars said. "You need a break. I'm getting a baby-sitter and taking you on a date!"
I stared at him, puzzled.
"You know," he said. "No kids. No interruptions. No leaking diapers."
Suddenly the "date" concept came back to me. "That does sound vaguely familiar," I said.
A week later we pampered ourselves with a candlelit dinner and a movie with real actors instead of cartoon characters. Our date was a successful break that turned into a habit. A year later Lars and I are still dating, giving our romance a jump-start twice a month.
"Every couple needs to have time devoted specifically to them. It provides a space for husband and wife to talk without being interrupted or being listened to by little ears," says Les Parrott, Ph.D, author of "Relationships: Making Bad Relationships Better and Good Relationships Great." and co-director of Seattle Pacific University's Center for Relationship Development. "Since communication is the lifeblood of every marriage, this alone is enough to underscore the value of a night out without the kids."
