4 Reasons to Love Weeknight Dates

“Do you think they’ll still have tickets?” my husband Ted asked over our dinner of Pollo Tropical chicken and guava BBQ riblets.

As you can tell, we’re big spenders on date night.

“I think so,” I thoughtfully responded. “After all, it is a Wednesday night. How busy can it be?”

Of course, in the back of my mind, I wondered the same thing. We were headed to see the film Divergent. At that point, it’d only been in theaters for six days and the show started in less than 30 minutes. Plus, we planned to see it in IMAX. Not necessarily because we wanted to, but because the time best fit with our schedule.

I can just see you nodding your head now in understanding of why our pre-show dinner choice was fast food. We had to pinch pennies and quarters and dollars somewhere if IMAX was involved. I mean, wow.

It turns out, there wasn’t a rush on tickets that evening. Although, thanks to the indecisive couple two places ahead of us in line, we did have a moment where we weren’t sure we’d make it into the theater on time. At one point, some five minutes after the pair first began chatting with the guy at the ticket window, Ted even whispered to me, “Do you think I could pay them $30 not to see a movie tonight?” Fortunately, this husband and wife stepped out of line to consider their options, with no monetary bribe from us required.

This isn’t the first time one of our date nights has taken place on a Wednesday evening. In fact, whenever we schedule them, they tend to fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Primarily because this is when we’re either able to get a sitter or to swap date nights with another couple. For us, weekdays are practical.

But do you know what I’ve discovered over the last year or two? Not only are weeknight dates best for our calendar, I’ve come to prefer them. Here are four reasons why.

1. Weeknight Dates Interrupt the Weekday Monotony

For me, sometimes the five weekdays feel like this:

  • Monday: Wake up. Homeschool. Lunch. Work from home. Dinner. Bed. (Shower, optional.)
  • Tuesday: Repeat Monday’s schedule.
  • Wednesday: Repeat Tuesday’s schedule.
  • Thursday: Repeat Wednesday’s schedule.
  • Friday: Repeat Thursday’s schedule.

I’m guessing your day-to-day routine is similar. Except perhaps “Drop the kids off at school and head to the office” replaces “homeschool.” But when Ted and I throw a date night into the mix, it brings some spontaneity to our monotony. For me, it provides an evening out to look forward to. A night when I don’t have to make dinner, I just have to eat it.

2. Weeknight Dates Provide Connection on Our Busiest Days

Ted and I have found that at the end of a workday, it can be difficult to catch up. One, we have four little girls who are just as eager to talk Ted’s ear off as I am when he walks in the door. Two, our kids’ bedtime routine consumes a chunk of our evenings. Three, at the end of it all, we’re tired. That’s not to say we don’t try to catch up, but by the time we’ve tucked our girls in bed, too often all we want to do is turn on the television and have someone tell us our own bedtime story.

When we schedule a date night on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, though, it gives us much-needed middle of the week catch-up time. It’s an opportunity for us to let someone else put the kids to bed and reserve our energy and focus solely for each other. Which brings me to #3.

3. Weeknight Dates Keep Our Priorities in Order

I’m a firm believer that my husband trumps my kids on my priority list. I couldn’t agree more with Heidi St. John, who writes, “When we place our children as the priority of our time and energy at the expense of our husbands, we’re missing God’s heart for the home.” For us, setting aside time in the middle of the week for each other is a tangible reminder to us and a statement to others that our marriage comes first, above kids and work.

4. Weeknight Dates Equal Less Busy Venues

That night we saw Divergent, the IMAX theater consisted of Ted, me, and about five other people. We’ve found that in general, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and even places like the Shakespeare Tavern downtown, tend to be less busy during the week. We just make sure to schedule our time of departure from home after rush hour.

What about you? Like me, are you a connoisseur of weeknight dates? If so, I’d love to hear why you too prefer them over a Saturday evening out.

Ashleigh

AshleighSlater.com