Dating Your Spouse (Don't Forget Valentine's Day!)

The dating phase of any relationship is vibrant and exciting. Getting to know a person, what makes them laugh, their likes and dislikes, the food they enjoy, their hobbies, their hopes and aspiration, all make for stimulating conversation and much-anticipated encounters.

But what happens after the "I do's" and the fairy tale honeymoon? Is every marriage doomed to routine and monotony? Where do those 'butterflies in the stomach' feelings disappear to and how can you keep them alive through years of wedded bliss?

One way is to continue to date your spouse, a proposition that is not always easy when the dishes need to be washed and the meals prepared, the shopping needs to get done and so does the laundry, the kids have sports activities and need help with homework, and you’re both just plain exhausted after working all week.

Yet, if you don’t take the time to nurture your marital relationship, you might not have a marital relationship to nurture.

Here are a few reasons to date your spouse:

• Just like your plants, your relationship needs to be tended to on a regular basis to thrive and grow.
• Dating is a good way to show your spouse you value his/her company and to say "I love you."
• Dating was the way you decided you wanted to get married -- keep on doing it as a way to stay married.
• There are always new things to learn about your spouse.
• Laughing together and having fun makes stronger the "ties that bind."
• Dating is an investment in your future, guaranteed to earn interest.

Life after marriage is hectic and an endless stream of excuses can keep you from devoting the time necessary to keep your number one relationship on the front burner. Dating your spouse on a regular basis can keep the home fires burning -- in your hearth and in your heart!

Dr. Steven L. Levy is a chiropractor in Woodbury. He is married with six children.