Focus on family

Marriage, family and staying connected Debbie Jameson Spending regular quality time together and staying connected as couples is possibly one of the hardest challenges for marriages. Operating on ‘cruise control’…

Marriage, family and staying connected

Debbie Jameson

Spending regular quality time together and staying connected as couples is possibly one of the hardest challenges for marriages. Operating on ‘cruise control’ due to work pressures and family commitments is a trap we can all relate to.

During the festive season, expectations of a memorable family Christmas and summer holiday can often add stress to our relationships. As husbands and wives, we share the responsibility to prioritise our marriages by protecting our time together.

The following tips are adapted from www.smartmarriages.com – the coalition for marriage, family and couples education.

  • Daily connection rituals: Craft simple, daily-connection rituals that work for you. Go for a walk together; have a coffee together while the kids do the dishes or once they are all in bed. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it helps you connect and is done regularly.
  • Seize the moment: Make the most of those spur-of-the-moment opportunities to simply relax together and talk.
  • Date nights: Anything from flashy dinners out to sharing a special meal at home. Whatever it is, enjoy regular dates where the romance and conversation can flow. Going to the movies or watching TV together may be fun, but they don’t allow you to communicate and deepen emotional intimacy.
  • Invest in the long term: Do something intentional to strengthen your bond: spend a weekend away together, do some form of marriage enrichment, read a relationship book together.
  • Schedule it: Making time together is important. Don’t leave it to chance. Be creative, make it a priority and don’t let it get bumped.