Nurture Your Marriage ~ Take a Break

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Why in the world would a marriage post have the title, “Take a Break”?

Take a break with each other.

There are times that I need to take a breather; a time of refreshing, to get myself together.

There are also those times that taking a break with my husband gives me a chance to possibly gain a new outlook on something that I’ve been rolling over in my mind. This wouldn’t be possible if I had children in my ear also.

I try to find unique and creative ways to spend time alone with my husband. My children are older now and my babysitting-finding days are mostly over.

My husband is self-employed and can set his own schedule.  Sometimes I’m along for the ride when he does have appointments.

I know that not every mom has the opportunity to do something like this during the day, but what about when everyone is home in the evenings?

*Yes, there are circumstances that don’t allot for “conventional” break times, i.e. shift work, military deployment, caring for someone with special needs, the care of older parents, etc.*

What I’ve found that works in our home for break time are both short spurts and longer moments.

  • After putting the kids in bed, treat yourself to popcorn and a movie. Snuggle up. Even if you dose off during the movie, that’s okay.
  • Hang out in the bathroom with him when he’s showering. Just talk to each other.
  • Make plans to spend a few hours running errands together.
  • Find questions for you and your spouse to ask each other. Eat dinner later than the kids and ask away. I found a good site that may help you get started with questions: Marriage Missions. (Use discretion. You and your husband know where you are in your marriage relationship. Some questions may be questions that would require more than one dinner to answer.)
  • Pick a couple’s devotional, or  read from a favorite book in the Bible together. After you’ve read it (either at the same time or not), take a few minutes to discuss it.
  • Hug each other while you pray together.
If you’re new to taking a break, start small and don’t try to do too much or everything at one time. Just start.
Your husband and your children will thank you for it.
Your man will see that he matters to you and your children will be rewarded in knowing that mom wants to spend time with dad. They will also see a healthy example of each person’s role in the home.

 

Stephanie Shott
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