A Guilt-Free Guide: Leave the Kids at Home & Enjoy Date Night

Whether you're married with children or a single parent, it can be incredibly hard to make time for a night away from the house. As a general rule, the younger your children, the more difficult it can be to pry yourself away from them. But it's important for both parents and children to experience a little time away from each other. For kids, it's an opportunity to feel comfortable around other, less-familiar adults. For parents it's a chance to focus on yourself for a few precious hours and regain a little sanity. Whether reconnecting with old friends or going on an honest-to-goodness date, you need a night to forget about the demands of parenting and just enjoy being an adult. Here are just a few tips to ensure that your much-needed date night is as enjoyable as possible.

Stick to the Plan

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If you decide to have a date night. stick to it. Make all of your arrangements in advance so that you have no excuse to cancel. If you make plans for Friday night, find a babysitter, make a dinner reservation and buy movie tickets for Friday night. If this is your first night out in a while, you're going to feel some guilt about leaving your kids behind. If you wait too long to book a sitter or if the movie you want to see is sold out, you're more likely to call the whole thing off. Having a plan in place will also let you maximize the small window of time that you have. You don't want to waste an hour waiting to be seated at your favorite restaurant. A reservation ensures that the free bread is sitting on the table when you get there.

Think Outside the Box

If this your first night out in a while, pick a new activity that will keep your mind occupied so you don't feel constantly anxious about the well-being of your kids. (They're fine by the way.) Sitting in front of a movie screen or waiting for food might let your mind wander back to the home front. Why not try something a little more hands on, like a movie trivia night at a local bar or a cooking class? By keeping your brain and hands busy you're far more likely to enjoy yourself and far less likely to feel the urge to text the babysitter for the 90th time. Don't forget, you told the babysitter to text you if there were any problems. It's natural to want sporadic updates, but don't spend more time texting home than you do talking to your date. This will be a lot easier to achieve if you’re halfway up a rock wall.

A Little Security

Technology has made it very easy to keep an eye on your young ones even when you aren't home. Lorex has a very affordable two-camera HD security camera system that can be easily installed. Lorex has software that lets you quickly access the camera feed from your smartphone. It even features a night-vision function so you can check up on your baby or toddler as they sleep. This can be a great way to keep a sense of security without having to call the babysitter every 10 seconds. But remember to let him or her know that you've installed cameras in the house. Also, set limits on how often you check in. You don't want your only night out of the house to be spent staring at your smartphone screen.

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