A Healthy Marriage

Jimmie and I spend a lot of time with the girls because we’re very big on family quality time. That doesn’t mean we don’t hit a few bumps along the way. Because it’s three females to one male, it’s not uncommon for the girls and I to fight for Jimmie’s attention-especially when he first comes home. To be honest, that’s why I usually pick him up from the airport or train station alone. That’s right, I like to be first!

While the girls are trying to present their new list of wants, I’m simply trying to have uninterrupted conversation. Seriously…our phone calls are often interrupted with the girls calling their dad on the other line. That’s how bad it gets sometimes. Nonetheless, they know that it’s very important for Jimmie and I to spend quality time alone; as husband and wife. Not just for intimacy (although at the top of our priority list), but for the simple things in life. After all, we were a couple before we became parents.

Our quality time together does not always consist of date night. We also enjoy working out at the gym, walks in the neighborhood, playing catch in the backyard with gloves and a softball, getting massages together, working in the yard (replacing mulch, cutting grass, etc.) or just sitting on the porch enjoying a few drinks. It really doesn’t matter what we’re doing, as long as we’re doing it together.

Now that the girls are older and becoming more responsible and independent, Jimmie and I get to enjoy more time alone. Like everything else, if you want a healthy marriage, you have to invest time in it. Notice I didn’t say a happy marriage? I’ll talk about that later. Anyway, don’t make the mistake of putting your marriage on hold, while investing all of your time into your kids. At some point, they grow up and leave (in most cases). Don’t find yourself waking up one morning next to a stranger, whom you never took the time to get to know over the years. That’s just my opinion. What’s yours?