Kids’ free activities, however impudent it might sound to you but believe me that is very much required for a couple to have a healthy life together. Once we are parents, priorities change. And it must change. But once we become parents, we must not forget that we are life partner of one person too. A person who we share our dreams as well. Unless you both are connected at psychological, spiritual and physical levels, the dream sharing takes a back seat. Then you are not life partners rather just roommates. Who share a room, expenses and chores.
This happens more in women; motherhood takes away the real woman in them. Don’t take me wrong but on many Facebook moms’ groups I have read discussions where ladies proudly say that they sleep with kids only and they didn’t get physically close to husband in the last 2-3 years. There can be reasons, some genuine reasons but then all actions have repercussions too. There must be a balance in life in everything you do. You be a mother but never forget you are a wife too. That’s why here I am suggesting some kids’ free activities, for just two of you.
With modern-age relationships one more problem is every one is busy in their own world. May be both partners are working or not, but no one is free. So here are few activities come chores, where you can spend quality time as well as finish your work.
5 Kids free activities, just for parents
1. Cooking
We have heard it since ages that ‘the way to a man’s heart goes through his stomach’, but let me tell you that a way to a woman’s heart goes through a day free from kitchen. If dear husbands, you can not manage the entire day, at least manage one meal. Together. See I am not asking husbands to cook alone. I understand in this age too we still have men who can hardly make tea by them selves or may be Maggi. Even if you have a cook, there must be something that you guys can cook together. May be breakfast, evening snacks or anything light. The agenda isn’t to prepare a full course meal, but to create something together.
Plan ahead, to avoid chaos, mood swings and stuffs that hamper the agenda. Decide the dish, check availability of ingredients. Cooking is stress buster, plus you guys can gossip, chat and do lot of sweet nothings. More than ingredients two things are important. Please take a note, keep your mobile phones away except for checking recipe that is in making and lot of love. The dish will automatically come out superb.
2. Working out
The silver lining of the dark cloud called Covid19 is that we have got a lot of time together. How much of it is quality time, is up to us. We are having a real twisty journey with lots of ups and downs.
Working out together, can be as simple as walking, jogging, yoga or even gym workout. At home or outside, as per once comfort level. I am telling you with my personal experience that being your spouses gym buddy is amazing. We have one-hour workout session, either in morning or evening as per the work schedule. It is a mix of HIIT, weight training and stretches. But the way we support each other in heavy weight squats and motivate when really really tired, gives me a reason to look forward to do the routine every day.
Working out together, is an amazing among the other kids’ free activities. It’s like ‘aam ke aam guthliyon ke daam’. Weight loss as well as some quality time.
3. Gardening
Garden doesn’t mean a big place; it can be a few vase or pots in your balcony or lobby. I am not much into flower gardening; I prefer herbs and vegetables where as my husband loves flower gardening. On this anniversary I gifted him a gardening tool kit. He loved it more than I expected and uses it almost every weekend. I have also started helping him out. We get new plants, pots and spend sometime nurturing them as well as our relationship. The joy of creating together is amazing. Plus, it’s a stress buster too.
Once you start doing it together, you will know it is not boring at all, rather its more fun and satisfying.
4. Go on a date
People think date is only for younger generation, or only during the courtship period. But that’s not true. We have been married for 15 years now, and we have never stopped going on a date. Planned dates as well as surprise and impromptu dates.
The fire and spark need to be alive, and both of you need to contribute in doing so.
We have even sneak out of our home together, telling family that we are going to work and spent entire day roaming on Delhi streets, enjoying to our hearts content just the two of us.
We steal get out sit at a coffee house, if we have time crunch, we stop at a tea stall on the road. Sit have tea and talk and come back home. We even catch up each other informed in our work place and grab a tea together. Its fun. Keeping excitement alive is very important in a relationship.
As we grow mature in a relationship, we start taking many things for granted. And the first in the list is our spouse. We stop appreciating, acknowledging and showing the love we used to during courtship period. Going out on a date, is a small pause in the busy schedule and monotonous life.
5. Binge watching
OTT platform is offering a bouquet of entertainment. They have explored and presented movies, drama, series in all possible genre. Most of these series, aren’t kids friendly. May it be Paatal Lok, hostages, Mirzapur to name a few. With the violence, cuss words as well as prevalence of substance abuse shown. Neither you can watch it with kids nor you want to watch it with them.
So, choose one weekend of the month, where you have planned activities for kids. You can either engage them with activity classes or grand parents. If one sibling is elder and can manage gadgets then once in a month even, they can make a list of movies they want to watch or play for a few hours.
Make a good sitting arrangement. Pop some corn if you like. Make a good ambience, a cosy one. And sit together with no one to disturb for a few hours. You can and must take out few hours in a month for just two of you right.
All these activities aren’t possible for everyone but I am sure at least one is. Trying something is better that not doing anything. You might not be able to do everything in the same month, but even one activity per month will do good. Every living being needs to be cared and nurtured and this relationship is called life- partners. So do not ignore it. We keep doing more than necessary for kids every day, we deserve a break too.
And if can’t do any of these, ever then at least sit and talk for a few minutes. Talk do not complain or crib, talk about good memories, about blessings in your life. Positive affirmations can do wonders.
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These activities especially gardening seems quite interesting. Love all the 5 activities
Fantastic article! Parents also need to have fun! When my husband and I planned some activities without the kids, we felt guilty for a while. Later we realised that these special moments gave us energy to run our lives in a better manner.
Go on a date was quite new and unique. Loved it. Some important ways of not only spending time but also developing strong bonds with children, very eloquently put.
A post very different from the ones I read and well written… For us, our time together is taking our puppy for a walk in the evening and watching TV at night, after the kid is off to bed…
Nice idea. Cooking should be interesting
Those are some great points and am sure it would help families in spending quality time together. Glad you wrote on this topic.
Some interesting suggestions. Dating at the age of 60 [my present age] sounds most interesting to me 🙂 But covid is a deterrence.
Catching up a unplanned coffee in balcony or terrace without anyone else will also do 🙂
My thoughts exactly Ujjwal. Parents should have couple time. As you said moms sleeping with the kids and kids sleeping in the parent’s bed even when they are ten years old!!.A couple needs to bond over all the activities u have rightfully pointed put. Obsessed moms these days neglect their partners and then will complain that he doesn’t care.
Glad to get this feedback from you 🙂
Yes parents also needs to take out time and usually we feel guilty when we do so .But i guess Kids’ free activities are very much required for a couple to have a healthy life together.
i LOVE YOUR POST BUT I CAN BRING ALIVE OLD DAYS. LOVE TO DATE MY HUBBY BUT SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE AND BLINGE WATCH BECAME DIFFICULT WITH MY KID.
Those are some wonderful tips, my son is lil young but we still try to find some us times, especially on weekends and late binge watching in our fav
I do not enjoy gardening so I lag behind on that front…but I guess I should include that into my list of activities! An awesome list there!
Thoughtful and quite doable list. You are right, with parenting, we tend to forget that we also need some “us time” and small changes can kelp the spark alive.
Being a single parent have had no childfree time really last 12 years it always keeps weighing in you, but good suggestions for couples
Such a fun post. Indeed I enjoy cooking and gardening with kids. So much fun a d creativity.
Such an informative article, especially needed now that kids need engagement during this lockdown.
Nice activities for couples to indulge in. Those looking for quality time sure can have some great bonding over with these activities.
Self time without kids and spouse and couple time without kids both are important for the mental health of woman. What you choose depends on what you love to do. Agree with Ujjwala’s suggestions of the activities she has listed
I found your suggestions very relatable buddy
I believe that having quality “We” time for couples is equally important as having ME time for self.
Nice post.We keep our kids with grandparents and head out quite often.It really helps to get the much needed me time.
It is true, it is natural people don’t get time. But the things that give some personal time is very vital.
Wow love the post, we enjoy cooking and gardening as a family, its fun.. These days we do binge watch cartoon movies. Missing going out on date these days
Great tips. Parents often feel guilty about taking a break from their kids. But it is very much required.
You shared some fun activities for couples to do without kids. We do binge-watching and cooking but will try others.
Yes as a couple we do try and indulge in these activities like binge-watching and cooking.
Parents surely need some activities without kids for their own bonding and also sanity.
Going on a date sounds real fun, I am actually looking forward to it now
Ahhh! How I wish my hubby enjoys gardening with me. But yes lovely ideas.
Thank you so much for these suggestions , parents do long for this. #tmmreads
I liked the concept of explaining kids-free activities. The last one is something they would love the most without the tantrums of a child.
Wonderful tips for parents. These days, Binge-watching is a favorite to many.
I absolutely agree, we too enjoy all these activities together. Wonderful tips to keep kids engaged and also happy with such activities.
loved the post Ujjwal and indeed parents also need their “We time”. I like all the ideas, specially the binge watching and cooking sounds so doable. these small things great joy, happiness and freshness in our relationship.
Important to have some activities to have real good time with your partner without kids, normally love to do cooking together
I am feeling really good as we both indulge in all the activities mentioned by you. couples having Me time is really important as it makes their relationship really strong.
I love the idea of cooking and working out together. Intimate time is anything done together without the distraction of kids around, I feel.
I think we only cook together at times because I suck at it mostly and I hate cooking. We tried binge watching but either he falls asleep or Im not interested in that show. Lol! Going on a date was on until the Pandemic hit.
Bonding with each other over activities like gardening and cooking or even a movie date at home , sounds like so much fun and so doable too .
Very nice ideas for parents to spend quality time during lockdown. In my case we don’t get time at all . The whole time goes managing both the kids .
Engaging in such fun activities actually bring a family closer. We indulge in a lot of gardening and binge watching together these days. Gardening is something that we recently started doing.
Spending quality time with a partner and talking something other than kids is much important. Cooking works well for us. Husbandman chops and I take over the stove or vice versa. Cook a meal as well as talk. Real talk. Loved the article.
lovely ideas! when my neices come over, i used to take them out to the park with the dogs to play.but currently, we stay indoors. i am going to try gardening with them next time they come over – great way to keep them happy and entertained 🙂
These are some great ideas to build the bond. Few activities I can even start after reading your post, work out is what can be fun and challenging too.
These activities make sense dear but have become increasingly difficult in these times . Thanks for the reminder though.
I agree with you, once the kid enters the scene, a couple starts losing interest in doing couple things mainly because they don’t know how to find time for themselves. These are some brilliant activities couples can enjoy together and revamp their relationship.
Great list Ujjwal well as of now we are stealing the moments while at work.. nah naah not office work.. when he does the dishes and I cook… ha ha ha…
I have been making sure that H spends time cooking. He has started to lay the table. He has also been helping in gardening. But that’s me and my son. As for the couple goals unlocked during the lockdown, we are sharing each other’s mind space and utilizing this time to understand each other’s professional abilities, more like bonding over coaching each other.
It is really important to have a kids-free time for parents. Thanks for sharing I added a few pointers of yours to my list.
Perfectly doable tips for yourself and with your partner. 🙂 #MyFriendAlexa #TinaReads
Loved ur post. Balance is necessary. After being mother’s we tend to forget that we are wife too. Much necessary post.
Maintaining couple charm is also important after becoming parents. My husband and I watch movies together. And now OTT stuff too. We often watch back to back movies or all the parts of a web series in one go as we get very rare chance of being able to spend we time alone. My second baby is just 5 months old and he takes all out attention these days.
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