Keeping Couples Close

I was pregnant with our first child when my husband and I attended a friend’s 40th birthday party. Over thumping music and a Shirley Temple for me, we wished the guest
of honor a happy birthday.

“How does 40 feel?” my husband asked.

“It’s good, but I’m tired,” said the friend, the father of two young kids. “I don’t remember the last time I slept through the night.” 

Our friend turned his gaze to his wife. Beaming in her direction, he told us how excited he was to spend the night at the swanky hotel down the street that night.

“So fun!” I exclaimed. “The kids are with their grandparents overnight?”

Our friend and his wife laughed, shaking their heads. “No,” she explained. “I’m staying with the kids so my husband can have the entire night to himself and wake up whenever he wants, in silence, totally alone.”

“Too bad you couldn’t find a sitter so you could stay at the hotel together,” I replied. 

“No, this is actually the perfect birthday treat,” our friend insisted. 

I sipped my Shirley Temple and tried to make my face look as if I understood. 

Six years, two kids of my own, and countless sleepless nights later, I understand. As I’ve come to learn, taking time for yourself once you become a parent is not a luxury — but a necessity. Though it seems counter-intuitive, one of the best things you can do for your marriage is to step away from it, regularly and intentionally.  

BECAUSE KIDS 

Our kids absorb an incredible amount of our time and energy. Ironically, this is exactly why parents need to take time for themselves. Therapist Alex Hedger encourages parents to take breaks from the demands of both their children and their partner, in order to “prevent cracks appearing in either partner’s well-being — or the relationship.”

Tiya Cunningham-Sumter, a certified life and relationship coach, describes those potential cracks as “regret and resentment toward your partner… You’ll find yourself giving your partner the angry side-eye and it’s all because you didn’t make time for you.” 

While experts agree that downtime is crucial for both parents, therapist David Ezell argues it’s particularly important for women. He describes a client who mistakenly believes she should never be apart from her kids, a mindset that tends to be unique to mothers. 

“Not only is it horrible for the children — they need to learn mom can leave and come back — but it’s also likely to turn this highly educated, accomplished woman’s brain into mush. Children are wonderful but we all need a break from being asked why the sky is blue (for the 400th time).”

YOU’RE STILL FASCINATING

Before you were someone’s mom, dad, husband, wife or partner, you were just you. Peel off all the labels and you’re still there, even if you’re buried under laundry and birthday party invitations. And you still matter. 

Vikki Ziegler, the author and divorce attorney best known for her starring role in Bravo TV’s Untying the Knot, calls prioritizing your own interests a chance to “nourish your soul.” Dating coach Corrine Dobbas calls it a time to “rejuvenate and foster [your] sense of self.” Whatever you call it, it is vital to stay in touch with what makes you uniquely
you — the person your partner fell in love with in the first place. 

Hedger uses the analogy of a sports team to illustrate the importance of each half of a couple bringing their best self to the relationship. Just as a team functions optimally when each player brings his unique strengths to the game, “having time apart allows you to be true to yourself in a way that allows you to uniquely contribute when being part of the Relationship Team.” 

Dobbas agrees. Only when you stay in touch with yourself, she says, “can [you] show up in the relationship more present, confident and less stressed.” 

Not only do you bring greater energy to the relationship when you’ve had time to recharge, you also become a more interesting person to your partner. Marriage counselor and author Patricia Bubash says when each partner carves out time for their own interests, not only does it give them something to talk about, it also gives partners a chance to see each other “as interesting individuals, not just a wife [or] husband.” 

THE HEART GROWS FONDER

Whether you take an hour for a kickboxing class, an evening with friends, or a weekend to go on a yoga retreat, taking time apart gives you and your partner a chance to miss one another. Amy Bailey, a mom of three who has been married 16 years, says that while date nights are key, so is time apart. 

“There’s nothing that makes me miss home and my husband like not having him around,” she says. “And we take that time to send each other texts we wouldn’t want our kids to read, and by the time we see each other again — well… we’re ready to see each other again.”

While it’s not always possible to get away for long stretches of time, Jenni Skyler, a certified sex therapist, encourages couples to be creative with the limited time they have. She says it is especially important for new moms to have what she calls “restorative, regenerative time” in order to show up to the relationship sexually. 

“For a lot of women, the ability to be aroused comes from having space for arousal to emerge,” she says, adding that because most women can’t just switch from “mom” to “lover” in the blink of an eye, having time alone is essential, even if it’s just 20 minutes to soak in the tub. 

Cunningham-Sumter says that even carving out a few minutes for chores like folding laundry or doing dishes by yourself “can be your time to turn on your music and just be with yourself.” While any time away from your partner can be helpful, research suggests time spent in solitude may be especially valuable, promoting relaxation and reduce stress. 

My husband gives me time to work out because he knows the more I exercise, the more pleasant I am to be around. Though he doesn’t necessarily care to hear about the way my leggings chafed or how my GPS lost its signal during my run, he does care that I’m still the athlete I was when we met. 

And I rarely deny his occasional request to take himself and his fantasy novel out for a beer and a burger. He always returns in a better mood than when he left. 

Because sometimes time alone is exactly what we need to come together.