How’s your love life?
Not at its best? No big surprise there. You went from a Rockin’-It-Mama to a Mom-Teacher-Piano Instructor-BFF-to-your-child-plus-CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) all in one week. Have any energy left at the end of the day to be a friend-lover-reasonably-kind-spouse? Not likely!
These are tough times for a family. We are unaccustomed to having our schedules wiped clean and our movements and travel restricted. For some families, it’s been a very sweet time of being together even more than usual, but for many the pressure and anxiety of this uncertain time has made for a tense household.
This is a time for patience with each other, grace for yourself when you fall short, and an action plan for keeping the magic alive.
1) Have a date night
I know, I know—we can’t go out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive to set aside a night and make it special. Maybe wait to eat until after the kids have gone down and then share a quiet, special meal. Maybe do movie and pizza for the kids inside and drinks on the porch for mom and dad (snuggled under a blanket until warmer weather comes, I guess). Maybe plan a game night for after the kids have gone down instead of turning to a screen.
2) Kiss goodbye
Many families are adjusting to working from home during the Coronavirus lock-down. Don’t forget to kiss goodbye even he’s just headed to the new home office in the basement. Those regular points of connection matter. Don’t lose the daily habit.
3) Capture your love
In my family photo sessions, I really love to get mom and dad away from the kids even for a few minutes to capture some of that magic that was there before all the beauty, wonder, and craziness of kiddos came along and transformed two madly in love people into a slightly mad but mostly happy family. Maybe we can’t do a session together just yet, but this season of lock-down will pass. For now, take a good selfie with your man and put it on your phone as a reminder of what and who really matters the most.
