At this current stage of our lives, late night walks aren't an option because we have two young children who are in bed by 8pm. We put our kiddos in the stroller, the dog on his leash and go on a walk after dinner most nights, but it's just not the same as going out on our own. There is something about the quiet and cool night air that makes our conversation flow freely and contributes to a deeper connection in our relationship.
When Joe and I first started dating, we would go on long, late night walks together whenever the weather permitted. We continued the tradition into our married life. And we made it even more of a priority after we added Howie, our dog, to our family. We needed to make sure he got out of the apartment for exercise and energy release.
At this current stage of our lives, late night walks aren’t an option. Because we have two young children who are in bed by 8pm. We put our kiddos in the stroller, the dog on his leash and go on a walk after dinner some nights. But it’s just not the same as going out on our own. There is something about the quiet and cool night air that makes our conversation flow freely. And it contributes to a deeper connection in our relationship.
Related: Couples with Young Children Need This in Their Marriage
Just a couple of months ago we discovered a solution to our obstacle. The roof outside our bedroom window is perfect at the perfect angle for sitting on. So after the kids are in bed, we put their monitor next to the window where we can hear them and climb outside to chat. Some nights we’re only out there for a few minutes. And other nights we sit out there for close to an hour. Howie joins us a lot of times, only because he feels left out if we don’t take him and will sit inside our room barking at us.
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I love viewing the neighborhood from a new perspective. Enjoying the night air and watching the stars come out and listening to the crickets. We’re up high enough that the mosquitoes and other bugs don’t bother us like they would if we were out on our deck. The only downfall to sitting on the roof is that it’s not the most comfortable seat. And we don’t bring blankets out with us to sit on for fear of sliding off of them and off of the roof.
Now that it looks like it has finally warmed up for good, we are looking for a lot more opportunities to hang out on the roof and strengthen our marriage. We’ll take a snack or our favorite conversation starter cards out with us. And enjoy the opportunity that we have to connect at the end of the day. We’re learning to adjust our relationship rituals to fit our current stage of life. One day we’ll get to go back to our late night walks. But until then, we’ll enjoy what opportunities we have.
Related: Skillet Cookies – The Perfect Date Night Dessert
As you’ve entered new stages of life that have eliminated your ability to continue some of those long-time traditions that you’ve enjoyed. What fun new traditions have you started to fill that void?
