Making Time for Each Other – Guest Post

My husband and I will be celebrating our 21^st anniversary on March 23. It feels like just yesterday that we were saying “I do” and promising to love each other forever.

We were both so young….I was only 19 and he was 21. We thought we knew everything but we really didn’t know what was in store for us.

I’ll be honest. It’s been a rough road at times, but overall I wouldn’t ask for a different life or a different mate. He is my very best friend & I know that he feels the same way about me. We love to be together, whether we’re doing “adult, married things” or just watching television. If something good happens to either of us, we immediately want to tell the other one.

Our marriage has always been a priority for both of us. Throughout the years, we’ve been vigilant in making an effort to spend a great deal of time together. It was hard when our daughter was young, but that just meant that it took more imagination for us. We knew that keeping the romance alive was vital for our marriage and our happiness.

One thing we always did was put our daughter to bed early. When I say early, I mean early, lol. Her regular bedtime was 7:00 pm when she was little. She was a good sleeper, probably because we taught her to be, and would usually sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 the next morning. To this day she still needs lots of sleep!

The second part of this is what we did when she went to bed. It wasn’t time for dishes, cleaning, bill paying, or any of those mundane things. Our evenings were for “couple time”!! We would always spend that time just enjoying each other. This is very important & is what will keep the romance alive throughout the years.

We also taught her, from the time she first starting talking, that if her dad and I were having a conversation she needed to wait until we were finished instead of interrupting us. Of course, if she was hurt or sick there would be an exception, but the point was that she needed to respect our time together. That is also why we kept our door shut at night & taught her to knock before entering.

Our relationship is sacred and she knows that. Even now, at 19, she jokes that nothing is as important as “Tom & Lisa time”.

We love our daughter very much but we love each other too. We knew that she would eventually grow up and move out, at which time we’d be stuck alone. You’ve heard the stories of couples divorcing, or living miserably, after their children are grown and out of the house. I didn’t want that for us & my husband didn’t either.

This past fall our daughter left for college. She’s four hours away & we are only able to see her every few months. The time has come, how will we handle our empty nest. Thankfully, after all the work & effort we have put into our relationship and marriage throughout the years, we are reaping the benefit now. We’re more in love, happier and having more fun than ever before!

It’s never too late & you are never too busy to make time for your spouse. Just make a little effort & you’ll immediately see the benefits. Talk to him, reach out and grab his hand, tell him you miss him, put your child/children to bed a little earlier tonight & have some fun together, make your marriage and your love a priority!

Lisa blogs over at A Life Full of Laughter where she talks about her love of quilting, knitting, gardening, reading, crocheting, pets, relationships, reviewing books & products, offering giveaways and just life in general! She’s a dear friend of mine online and I know if we met in person we would be up for hours talking and laughing.