Clear The Guilt And Pack Your Bags, You’re Going On A Dirty Weekend!
By Genie Price
Relationships are hard work. You have four kids, work, doctors and dentists – you are both busy. With little time for yourselves or each other in this hectic journey that is parenting, why not plan a “dirty weekend” away to recoup?
Dirty weekends are no longer a thing of the past. Indeed, relationship experts insist that not only is a “dirty weekend” away beneficial, it’s a necessity in helping keep the romance alive and the relationship healthy, and here is why.
Because it’s fun:
Parenting comes with good times and bad. It also comes with mess followed closely by an array of mundane domestic duties. Taking a dirty weekend away with your partner is and should be, far from boring – it should be fun. Whether it be a quick trip to Bali for the weekend or a few nights out in the city, being together without the kids around is fun and can help rekindle any feelings of “lost love” in a relationship.
Parenting overshadows your relationship:
Screaming babies and routine bed times are all part of the parenting blur. You may forget that you are someone’s’ husband, wife or lifelong partner while engulfed in the busy-ness that becomes you. The children’s needs always come before your own.
It’s nice to hear your own name:
“Mummy this” and “Daddy that”, followed by one hundred questions about the moon and stars, this is the way of life for parents. When you take a trip away without the children, you will be surprised how you enjoy hearing your own name and how much you miss holding uninterrupted adult conversations with the one you love.
It’s important for developing identity:
From the time they’re born, kids observe everything. It’s good for children to know that their parents are individuals, too, with their own wants, needs and passions. Experts suggest that by taking time out from the hustle and bustle of “family life” not only are children able to build trusting relationships with other people, but also gain varied perspectives on life and establish their own identity while Mum and Dad are playing away.
Another benefit is that your children will learn what a healthy relationship looks like as they grow and develop their own ones.
Alone time allows for spontaneous intimacy:
The sex. That’s right, being alone together with your partner might bring out the “wild” in you. Take the candles, the massage oil and pack the new lingerie. Plan to enjoy each other in ways that you may not have done so for a while. Embrace the fantasies and enjoy the “wild side” as you share each other and create a loving experience that both of you most likely will not forget.
Your kids will leave you someday:
The point of parenthood is to raise children who will live independently in the world. This means they’ll eventually leave home and want to explore what’s on offer. You need to be able to function as an individual when they go and vice versa, your children need to learn to be on their own.
It helps make you a better parent:
You will find that after honouring yourself for a while, you’ll be able to return to parenting energised and ready to jump back into everything it entails. You will breathe more deeply and you’ll feel a sense of peace. Taking a trip away helps you to reconnect with yourself and your significant other, making you feel better as a whole.
The reunion makes you feel thankful:
Whether you have been away for a night or three, chances are you will miss your kids. Some of you may not. Either way, when you return to them, the reunion is grand. You will look at each other with fresh eyes and be ready to focus on all the things you love about each other.
Whether your relationship is new or you are in it for the long haul, taking time to be with each other is important. It not only helps to rekindle the “lost flame”, but the benefits for your children are also great. Look at it as an investment. Bite the bullet. Plan the weekend away and never look back.