- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preconception articles
- preconception q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Rescuing Romance
Take Your Relationship from Fizzle to Sizzle
By Kelly Burgess
Donna Allen of Springhill, Texas, says that she and her husband, Dave, went through a dull period in the second year of their marriage. "We finally realized that we were so caught up in making our house perfect that we did nothing but go to work, then come home and work," she says. "We decided to take one weekend a month and do one of those last-minute weekend getaway packages to somewhere interesting. They don't cost much, and it really put a lot of fun back into our marriage."
Allen, who doesn't have any children yet but plans to have them in the near future, says that she knows the last-minute mini-vacations will have to stop when the kids start coming, but she hopes they don't get so caught up in a new routine that they again forget about each other.
Melissa Hamilton, managing editor for RomanceEverAfter.com, says that "forgetting about each other" can happen, but with a little thought, romance is something that can be incorporated into your everyday life. "Romance should be a way of life, not a moment," she says. "When a couple embraces a romantic philosophy on the many levels of their marriage, life tastes sweeter. When each notices the small things, romance exists. When each considers the other first, romance exists. When each listens and each shares, romance exists. When romance is part of your marriage like breathing, the years together through the tough and tame times are so much better."
This is good advice whether you've been married two years or 22, but Hamilton also notes that it's better to start early in the marriage and make it a habit. "I would offer a word of advice for newly married couples," she says. "Incorporate romantic principles when your marriage begins. Know that the romance in a marriage changes as each year passes. Yet, if nurtured by both parties, the romance, the relationship, will deepen and become as a precious jewel."
