Dating Your Wife

“When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.” Deuteronomy 24:5

Dating Ideas Besides Going Out to Dinner

Men, spending quality time with your wife is an important part of marriage. Even if money is tight, dating your wife should be a priority. A picnic lunch can be just as enjoyable as an expensive meal at a restaurant, and a date doesn’t even have to involve food at all. A pedal boat ride or walking around downtown are just a couple of ideas. If you do not yet have children, there is no excuse for not having regular dates with your wife. Hint: Your wife doesn’t want to be responsible for planning every date. Take the initiative!

Dating When You Have Young Children

Your dates might look different depending on the season of life you are in. If you have young children and there is no trustworthy family member around to babysit, consider taking the kids along on the date or perhaps share a special candlelit meal after the children are in bed...

Be careful about every “date” happening at home though. Even if you have to bring the children along, your wife will be happier if you take her out on a regular basis. She may or may not tell you that, but it’s true. You might not enjoy your job, but your wife probably still sees it as your opportunity to get out of the house. If she is at home all day, getting out might be more important to her than you think.

Eventually, you’ll have teenagers to hold down the fort while just the two of you go on real dates, but you need to make her needs a priority right now. If you can’t afford to take the whole family to dinner, perhaps you could take them out for an ice cream cone after visiting a local pet store aka “the poor man’s zoo.”

Dating When You Have a Large Family

My wife and I have nine children, so even just running a few quick errands with my wife and our youngest baby feels like a date for us since the baby doesn’t talk yet. When my mom is in town, my wife and I are able to get out of the house together for longer periods—even overnight.

Whatever your system is for dating your spouse, be sure to communicate with her on this subject to make sure she is satisfied.

Here is a sermon on Loving Your Wife