Dating Through the Years

Written by Aaron & April Jacob

Life happens.

Marriage, like life, goes through seasons and stages.

Kids come and go. Financial resources change. Moves happen. Careers take a path of their own. And just as people grow and mature, marriages grow and mature, too.

Each season of life will require different types of date nights. What once was a fun date night in your thirties, may not sound like fun in your sixties.

No matter what stage you are in, you can make date night fun, renewing, exciting, and adventurous.

Here are a few tips to make dating work, no matter what stage of life you are currently in.
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1. Be flexible and adaptable.

Each season of your marriage will require different types of date nights. Be flexible if your wife just had a baby, or if your husband just had hip surgery.

Find a way to create the best date night for your situation.

If you or your spouse face financial limitations, health challenges, or a lower energy level for life, you will need to be adaptable in order to enjoy dating during whatever season of life you are currently in.

READ: 40 TWO-PLAYER GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR SPOUSE

2. Make dating your spouse a priority. 

If you choose to be intentional about it, dating can happen no matter what stage of life you are in. There really is no “ideal time” for dating in marriage, and each season of life has it’s own obstacles, but dating your spouse can always be a priority if you want it to be. It is what you make of it.

Please remember, the whole point of dating is to be intentional about spending time together, continually getting to know each other better and deepening your friendship and love for each other. 

READ: MAKE TIME FOR LOVE

3. Do what your spouse would love. 

Perhaps she wants to watch that Hallmark movie and eat chocolate, and he would love to swim laps together.

Maybe she wants season tickets to the theater, and he wants to go shopping for a new motorcycle. Or maybe she would love to cuddle up with him and read a book, and he simply wants to watch golf.

Take turns doing what your spouse would love for date night. Your spouse’s ambition for certain types of dates will change through the years, so continually find out what he/she loves and plan date nights accordingly.
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Whether your dates are simple or grandiose, the important thing is that you keep dating your spouse through every season of life.

At some future point in your marriage, you will look back and appreciate that your efforts in dating your spouse, with the intention of nurturing love, romance, and friendship, were worth every sacrifice you made in order for that time to be “set aside” for just the two of you.  ​

Photo Credit: Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels

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