How often do you go out if you have kids / don't have kids?

[hopeishere]

DH and I are 40s with two kids ages 10+. We go out prob two or three times a month together for dinner / cinema / theatre or with friends. We also go out alone to see friends as well. DH thinks we hardly go out though!!

Friends same age, no kids go out once a month together and that's it. The don't do any other activity together.

5dc aged 10 & under. We go out with them, for a day trip, trip to a ‘different’ playground, a meal or a picnic fairly regularly. We got out as a couple once or twice a year. We’ve just had our first night away (excluding when I was in labour) in 5 years.

We're late thirties and childless we go out once a week in the evening just the two of us to the cinema / dinner and very occasionally for drinks (can't be bothered with the hangover!). We also go out for a long breakfast together on 1 weekend day. We go out together with mutual friends rarely - maybe 3 times a year. Then we both have our own friends and I usually spend one evening a week doing something with one of them.

@lynsey91 that sounds lovely!

I guess it's maybe not always about going out-out but having time and space to do stuff you like. When funds were tighter even going out for a coffee alone or together made me feel like I was "out"!

One 2 year old DD, mil babysits once a month or so. She got us some babysitting vouchers and meal vouchers for Christmas which was lovely. We usually go away once or twice a year for a weekend to a UK city without DD. She then stays with my mum which she absolutely loves.

We try to go out together once a month but even that doesn’t always happen. Each of us goes out with friends maybe once a fortnight and we go out to eat as a family monthly so we’re out in the evening each once a week. Plus exercise/sport.
To be honest I’d struggle to do more.

With stbexh 2-3 times a month was normal though often lunchtime with the dog. With new dp, every night nearly because he seems to not to like cooking, and doesn't want to trouble me, preferring to eat out (thankfully for my waistline I only see him maybe 3 nights a week due to distance, when I move there things will need to chance or I'll get fat!)

We have teenage dc. Go out a fair amount but not loads as we are homebodies. I try to see my friends once a month as a group then probably see one of them by themselves once a month or so. We go out as a family a fair amount in the evening. Dh and I don't go out alone much but don't feel the need to now the kids are older. We don't need babysitters now which is great.

I’m a single mum to 3 dc aged 8,10 and 13 I go out with friends once a week my mum babysits I’m very happy with this.

Pre kids I was out every weekend but usually without DH because he is a homebody. Post kids I go out every 6 weeks or so but that’s through choice rather than because I’m not able to. As I’ve got older the appeal of leaving house has got less (especially in winter) and i’d rather stay in with a takeaway and watch a film with my DH.

Before kids, a few times a week.

Post kids.. never without them in the evening but lunches once they are old enough to be left (so I guess 1yr +) for an hour or two with grandparents every few months.
Plenty of going out with kids though for meals right from the start. Eg meeting friends who also have kids in a restaurant for a nice meal and drinks.. kids just come with.

We haven't been out in the evening together since my MIL died three years ago. The kids used to stay with her overnight once every school holiday and we'd usually go for a meal. Our oldest is actually old enough to babysit but we never really think of it. We did have lunch out together on a school day in September ...

I can't really be bothered going out in the evening with anyone else - just turned down the work Christmas event (which is weirdly always in January) because I just CBA. I work shifts including nights though so I'm out of the house overnight about four nights per month plus out in the evening (at work) more often.

Maybe we'll start going out for the odd meal when the evenings get lighter. The weather this time of the year isn't very inspiring!

No family in the UK so we used the nursery staff as babysitters so DH and I could go out each week. Separately we do gym classes and meals/drinks with friends.

Two kids (6 and 8), dh and I go out separatley on average once a month. We have a night out together maybe once every other month.

No kids here... yesterday we went out for lunch/ bookshop then evening for drinks and mini golf. I'd say we do dinner/ something about 3-4 times a week. But, Tbf, we get a lot of free things thanks to my job so rarely pay for dinner.

3 DC, 5, 3 and 5m. We don't go out much alone. PIL and SIL live locally and do babysit. We try to go out once a fortnight to the local cinema or for a meal together but don't always manage it. Weekends are spent doing things with DC. Occasionally, like yesterday, MIL takes the older two somewhere and we had lunch at local Italian (DC 3 fast asleep) and walked home along the seafront together which was nice. I go out with friends about once a month at night and so does DH. It is so different to pre-DC but we don't mind. We like being at home together.

@moreisnnogedag - thanks We also are quite lucky in that we have lovely countryside on our doorstep and also about 25 mins from the coast so we do get out a lot with them. We do go on walks but the youngest (21 months) especially can't walk very far and is verrrry slow.. (Should probably invest in a carrier!) I know it won't be forever though.. Trying to build up their stamina so I'm sure one day we'll be back to 10/12 mile walks

@lynsey91 agree with you about food. Nearly always feel like we could have cooked it better for a third of the price. It’s a long standing irritation of mine.

I’d LOVE to go to live performances more, comedy, music, shows etc. My husband just isn’t interested.

I was last out in the evening in summer. It was a friend's party and the kids were invited. Other than that my last evening out was probably 2 and a half years ago. As a lone parent with no evening childcare going out in the evenings is now out. Invitations dry up quickly too once people realise you've declined a couple of times. I've had to pack in my evening class too. But I go to the cinema on my days off while the kids are at school. A date for one is guaranteed good company! And I've done a shed load of knitting.

Once every few weeks with the girls. Every couple of months we go out together and get a sitter

Every few months with girl friends. 1-2 times a year with DH. That's only slightly less than before I had kids. My parents would happily babysit, but it's such a hassle - get dc ready, drive 45 mins, drop off dc, drive 15-45 minutes to event, event, drive 15-45 minutes back to parents, pick up dc, drive 45 minutes home. Hardly seems worth it.

DH doesn't have any friends so he doesn't go out at all.

Maybe once every two or three months. We have a tweenager but are old 😂 (40s/50s) so "out" for us is usually something in the daytime. Mostly asleep by about 10.30 pm.

We have a nearly 7 and 2 year old, and we go out maybe a handful of times a year. We have no family help but a babysitter who can help when they are a little older (from 2), but she’s older and it’s a lot to ask her to stay with a crying baby all evening (basically we pay her to just sit downstairs and read).

But we use AL to have a few days off a year when they are normally in school/nursery and we each have occasional nights out with friends or travel without the other. One night out a month used to be standard for us before youngest was born.

I think going out more than 3 times a month, presumably on weekends, sounds like a lot of time not to spend as a family, unless your dc are teens and out with their own friends.

We have 3 DC - 12, 7 and 3. We go out as a couple once every couple of months, when we can persuade family to babysit for us. We would happily pay but haven't got anyone locally and DH is wary of employing a stranger.

We also go out separately, probably averaging once a week each.

We are late 40's and have 1 teen (14) and both work in areas that mean we attend a lot of events. We are out about 4 or 5 times a month - work and social life very much overlap for us.

We often have free evenings (dc on a sleepover etc) and end up staying at home!

We socialise with friends as a couple about once or twice a month.

I meet friends more frequently and dh meets his friends about once a month .

I think we're in a really good place at the moment and as dc gets older and more independent it is only getting better.

We often have friends over to the house too for dinner / drinks or go to theirs.

Pre dc we lived in the city centre and were out 4 or 5 nights a week - not drinking necessarily but cinema, theatre, art openings, gigs. We still do all of these things