Appreciating Your Spouse
Being a father definitely has its challenges. We work hard to do what we feel is right and the best thing for our kids. We work so hard we sometimes forget our spouse in all this. It is easy to get all caught up in being such a good dad and being there for your children but sometimes we just simply forget the significant other.
I know, especially in my house, if my wife is happy it generally means I am too. There is nothing better in a family when both adults get along. Many of our problems seem not so large and complex when both parents support one another and work in unison. So what are some of the things we can do as dads that can help bring us back to the nice and romantic people we once were back in the day?
1) Special Dinner
This has always been my favorite. I think because it isn’t that difficult to pick out a special recipe and cook. I don’t do this very often, but when I do we both really enjoy it. She knows I have taken time during my day to think about her and to plan something special. A lot of this is about the thought, even though the food usually is delicious! This is also good for me because I can break up my routine of frozen pizza, or steak and potatos with peas. Cooking the same stuff over and over and over again can become boring. When you eat dinner, you are all back home after a long day, and what you do during the evening hours can really shape how we view our home life. Is it happy, boring, depressing, sad, fun, etc?
So spice it up and cook those special dinners more often.
2) Play Games
By this I don’t mean video games. Like I mentioned before, in the evenings we all come home and we begin to fall back into our routine. Are you in front of the television set while she is on the computer all evening? You don’t have to prepare special foods just to spice things up. The key is to break out of your same old routines you do every evening and plan to do something fun. You can play games after the kids go to bed. Trivia, card games, you name it. But what you don’t know is that the games aren’t necessarily what we are seriously wanting to do. Though Trivia games can be fun but often times you begin talking again to one another. As you play you can learn more about their day and some of the things they weren’t planning to tell you becomes a topic of conversation for a while. Let her talk it up. Sometimes they just need that without you just coming out and saying, “So how was your day?”
So play games, get away from those boring routines, and it doesn’t have to be for very long. You don’t have to play Scrabble from the time dinner is over until midnight. Just one game may be fine, unless you are playing Monopoly then you may have to cut it short!!
3) Back Rubs
I know how us guys are with giving back rubs but you should really think about giving more of them. Stop whatever you are doing. If you are watching tv, on the computer, doing the dishes, washing laundry, outside in the garage hiding from all the chaos, just stop what you are doing and go find your wife. Then slowly start rubbing her back. You will be amazed at how badly she needs a back massage. Guys think that once they get started they are stuck rubbing the back for the remainder of the evening. Push that far from your mind. Take 90 seconds and rub your wife’s back and then go back to whatever you are doing. Maybe later in the evening repeat. The results are amazing. Try it!
4) Bubble Baths
Depending on your house and the setup in the bathroom but taking bubble baths together can be fun. If you both can’t fit, then run a bubble bath for your wife and massage her back while she is in the tub. Once you have done that for a while just get up and leave. Let her soak for a while and relax. My wife always wants to take a bubble bath but it is just taking that extra step to get in there. There are always more things to do around the house that your much wanted bubble bath turned into a quick washing of the face before falling into bed. Take the initiative and get her started. She will see that you care for her and can win over much needed points!
5) Take Her Shopping
aaaahhhhh…. Not shopping. Sorry dads but when we said “I do” on that special day, we made up our minds that we would do the best we could to keep her happy. And if you don’t want to go back on your word then take her shopping. Kind of like the Nike slogan “Just do it…”
I heard a Vietnam Vet tell me once that he lived through Vietnam’s worst but he wasn’t sure if he could live through another 10 minutes of shopping with his wife.
What you can do sometimes is just come home with a new pair of shoes for your wife… Now that would throw things off a bit! Maybe in a good way…
OK I listed five things. I was going to write up some more but I want to hear of any things you may do to spend more time and show more appreciation towards your spouse… Feel free to comment…
Tags: Dad, husband, monopoly, Parenting, spouse, wifeRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Parenting
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