Date-Night Under Quarantine
My love language is quality-time, and although I have a big personality, I am a true introvert at heart, so the weekly one-on-one date-night I have with my husband is something I crave in my marriage. Neil and I have been committed to doing date nights since before we were married and there’s been pretty much never been a time in our relationship when we haven’t made it a priority. Our dates have been as simple as going to dinner or a movie to more adventurous things like going on a hike or to a driving range, or as crazy as night-time boogie boarding in the ocean or playing catch with a football in the rain. The point is to connect as a couple, to enjoy each other and simply have fun!
We’ve had to be creative with childcare for our dates since becoming parents 11 years ago, and although finding babysitting became trickier with every son we added to our family, I found that I needed our date night more and more with each additional child. We’ve used friends for babysitting, we’ve hired babysitters, and right now Grandma watches all 5 kids on Wednesday nights from 5-8:30 so the two of us could “escape” and have time to be friends instead of just parents.
There’s been 2 date-nights that have come and gone since the Shelter has been enforced, and our dates now look very different. The first Wednesday we had a 50% off coupon for take-out to one of our favorite restaurants and weren’t surprised when we saw a line coming out of their front door when we drove into the parking lot. After being in line for a while to place our order, we overheard a waiter say they were out of most menu options. Time for plan B. We drove to our favorite sushi place for take-out and ended up eating it in the back seat of Neil’s car parked in an empty parking lot. The second Wednesday we decided to ride electric scooters at Mission Beach until we found a fun place to get take-out and watch the sunset on the sand. To our shock there were no scooters to rent. Anywhere. And the beach was completely blocked off and lined with security guards. Plan B was getting take-out at a little hole-in-the-wall Grilled Cheese shop, eating it on a bench overlooking the bay, then taking a walk together and stopping for ice cream on our way home. We’ve never been so limited before on what we could do, but that’s not going to stop us from doing SOMEthing.
Since we’re all in this awkward season that doesn’t allow us to do the usual dinner-and-a-movie type of dates, I listed some alternative ideas that all can be done in accommodation with our new guidelines. There’s plenty of At-Home Date Night ideas if you don’t have options for childcare.
At-Home Date-Nights:
Here’s some ideas if you don’t have childcare options and need to stay home. To keep our At-Home-Dates kid-free, we’ll tell our kids bedtime is earlier than usual since Mommy & Daddy are staying home, and there usually will be incentives and rewards if the kids stay in their room. (Maybe a special privilege like being able to play on their tablets or iPads in bed until a timer goes off? Or watch a show/movie until it’s over? Or they could read with flashlights? The goal is to keep them in their room –so use your imagination with how that can be accomplished).
- Picnic movie night. Whether it’s the living room floor or the bedroom, being able to snuggle under a blanket with some snacks and drinks to a movie of your choice is a great at-home date night. Change it up by doing a charcuterie board or cheese board instead of popcorn.
- Game night! Who said games are just for kids? Neil and I have had more fun playing Monopoly, Scrabble, or various card games with just the 2 of us. There are also some great games on Smart TV’s you can play together using your phones. Search for JackBox Party Packs.
- Drive-In Movie Night. I mention this below too, but if you like the idea of going to the Drive-In’s what’s to stop you from doing that in your own car in the garage?! Bring out some blankets & pillows and create your drive-in movie experience from your laptop! Snacks & drinks & clean bathrooms are only a pause-button away.
- Dinner under the Stars. Make the kids a fun kid-dinner and save your appetite, when the kids are in their rooms, grab you and the hubby something fancy like shrimp cocktail from the grocery store, or order GrubHub or even a pizza (or cook a new recipe together). Set a table outside to create your own restaurant experience in your own backyard. Don’t forget to light candles. Hey, why not dress up too?!
- Read a book together. Pick one you both want to read and take turns reading a chapter.
- Blast from the Past: Got a box of all your old love letters to and from each other? Or old photo albums or videos from your dating years? Get your wedding album and whatever else you can find from your early years together and enjoy some laughs remembering what used to be.
Remember date nights are to be fun and should connect you and draw you closer together in every way. Keep the “heavier” discussion stuff for a different time and keep the cell phones off!
When Covid-19 things settle down and we have more options, here are some ideas for simple date nights OUT, too!
Ideas for Date-Night Out:
- Grab take-out from a restaurant or a fast food place and get creative with where you can eat it (a park? A place with a view? Or where you had your first kiss/first date/or where your proposal or wedding took place?)
- Take a hike together
- Pack a picnic basket and blanket and eat it in your car or under the stars somewhere beautiful. Don’t forget drinks, all the paper goods you’ll need for your meal, and a trash bag.
- Do your own Drive-in movie in your car! Bring your iPad or laptop and some blankets, put down the back seat and watch a movie together with your own popcorn, candy & soda.
- Go on a bike ride.
- Take a nature walk on a trail you’ve never been to before.
- Take a mini road-trip! Pack snacks for a 2-hour drive to a place you’ve never been before or have always wanted to go. (We love to drive around Coronado Island, Del Mar, we’ve even driven far down into Wildcat Canyon, just for fun!)
- Hotels are super cheap right now, and although some are closed, others are still open so if you have an overnight option for your kids now is a fantastic time to do an all-night date at a local hotel downtown, at the beach or bay, or any place that normally is too costly!
Have fun dating again – even while at home!
