How many child free dates do you go on?

[Howcanthisbe123]

Hi all,

How many child free day/lunch/night/weekends away do you go on? And how frequently? Once a month, every week, every 6 months?

I’m just curious how much one on one time others spend with their loved one.

13 yr old & 7 yr old
Approx 2 lunch dates a yr while the kids are at school. No weekends away. One on one time is limited to when the kids are in bed & on the odd evenings we are not working.
Our relationship is still strong, kids are happy & we are financially stable but there is no give in the week.
Childcare is promised by grandparents but in reality they are baby boomers with plenty of money & friends & family to visit & they are not around often - I'm happy they are having a good retirement, but its slightly galling when they tell me they are around and would love to do the childcare... when they are not.
Am planning on utilising the 13yr old as soon for evenings.

For the first few years, none.

Once DD was about 5, we had one or two per year.

As she reached secondary age, we went out maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

Then covid, so we've not been put as a couple at all because it doesn't feel fair to leave DD behind while we have fun.

As covid rules relax, well hopefully ramp up to once a month or so.

We're home bodies but also go out with friends separately about once a month.

my mum and dad have my four kids most saturday nights so that my partner and i can spend some time together. we either go out for a meal or the cinema or stay in with a takeaway and a film. we go on holiday once a year without the kids and a few weekends away. i realise though that we’re really lucky to have such hands on grandparents. my sister and i also take it in turns to have each other’s kids so that we each get some alone time too.

The odd dinner out I've the years, never had a weekend away just us. Kids are teens now

Four kids!! Most Saturday nights!!!! Are your parents open to adopting me? 😂

haha! i’ll ask them! they sometimes have my four plus my sister’s two so i’m sure a few more won’t a difference

Evening dates. So far never.

But now DC are at school we do have quite frequent lunches out. Or mornings at home alone.

Both preferable to evenings out in our books.

Once or twice a year realistically although our kids are young so hard work to look after

Every four weeks in the day time and a couple of evenings a month. Once a year we go away overnight for our anniversary, not in 2020 though for obvious reasons.

We used to have quite a few nights out and a couple of weekends away every year when ours was small. Mixture of very helpful in laws and baby group friends who would have each other’s kids overnight.

When we only had the one DS, he would stay over at mine or DH's parents maybe twice a week. Then DS2 came along, and then covid hit so no time for nearly two years.

Now that overnight stays are allowed and DS2 reliably sleeps through the night we probably get time by ourselves once a fortnight to go out for dinner. We recently had a whole day and night to ourselves for the first time in years.

We work together so if we really really want to we can sometimes squeeze a lunch in but our schedules clash quite a lot so that doesn't really happen.

None. But we have plenty of time together when she’s asleep and don’t feel we’re missing out on anything because she’s with us.

Maybe 4/5 times a year my sister will have our dc overnight. Recently my niece has done a bit of babysitting for us so we had a day and evening out.

We get one night a week where DS stays with my DM, however he has SEN and does not sleep, so this is respite care to allow me to actually rest. In terms of how often we actually have a date night, maybe once every 6 months to a year? Sleep is just too precious for child free time to be used socialising at the moment!

We try for once a month and a couple of weekends away. In normal times obviously!

Maybe 3/4 dinners a year and same number of lunches (a couple of posh ones as a four with my dsis and BIL too)

On average one date per year.

Weekly trip to the pub for a few hours when dc at an evening club, then one full overnight a month where dc gets minded. Could have more as we have lots of family here who offer to have her but we can't be arsed!

Twice a year going out maybe. But we regularly, maybe once a month or so have a ‘date night’ at home where we have a nice meal together after DCs have gone to bed.

Our DD is 2 years old and my parents watch her maybe once every 3 months so me and my dp can go out for a meal, cinema etc

Three DS ages 6, 11, 13. Used to manage an evening once or twice a year. Not been out together since February 2020. Have date nights at home most Saturday nights.

Once a month or so.

4 date nights on almost nine years My family are abroad, his mum has never offered. We're patiently waiting for them to be old enough to stay home alone, we've done almost 9 years so not too long too much longer to wait.

We've literally had about five in four years, but partly due to lockdown - we would have had quite a few when I was expecting our second but that was last year when we couldn't leave the house. Youngest was born in autumn - we haven't had any child free time since then. We might have the odd evening out maybe once the eldest has started nursery later this year

Both mine have food allergies which makes people reluctant to help out tbh