Palmetto Parent October 2012 : Page 20
also had them come into our home.” Schaller checked references to make sure the sitter would be a good t for her family. “We’ve had the same sitter now since An-neliese was 2 – 3 months old,” she said. e sitter is now like part of the family. And having a twice-a-month date nights help Schaller and her husband focus on each other and be better prepared as they care for Anneliese and her siblings, Alden, 2, and Everett, 7 months. get creative Lisa Pappas, a Columbia mother of two, said sometimes a little creativity is needed to make date night happen. Finding child care is often the biggest challenge, especially when comfort level or budgets don’t allow for a regular sitter. Pappas recommends trading baby-sitting nights with friends. “If you have friends with similar age kids, that’s a good idea,” she said. Pappas said some churches and commu-nity organizations, such as the YMCA, o er parents’ nights out. For a date night with kids close by, Sol-stice Kitchen and Wine Bar o ers regular baby-sitting nights. General manager Jason Riddle said the restaurant’s customers in-spired the e ort. “We have the room and we’d like to utilize it,” he said. “We did it one time and it was a success.” e restaurant’s baby-sitting nights are by reservation only. Parents can have a quiet evening in the restaurant while their potty-trained children have kid-friendly foods and entertainment in a separate room. e cost is $7 per child. If all else fails, having a late-night date night might be just the ticket. Schaller said she and her husband sometimes have a sitter come after the children have gone to sleep. A quick but late dinner or dessert can be a great time to reconnect. Stephanie Schaller, a mom of three, looks at her calen-dar to plan a date night with her husband. that better. If you make it a routine, they are familiar with it. at’s so important when they are young.” No guilt! Plan it No matter how date night is implemented, putting it on a calendar is one way to make sure it actually happens. Regularity builds routine, which can often help parents and children feel more at ease. “If I could go back, I would have started that routine earlier,” Pappas said. “I wish we would have made it more regular early on. I think the kids would have adjusted to 20 Palmetto Parent Sometimes the barrier to date night is reluctance by one or both spouses to leave the children. Guilt can overshadow the best-laid plans. “It was much, much harder for me when they were smaller,” Pappas admitted. Leav-ing her children, who are now ages 7 and 5, with a sitter was tough. “I had a harder time turning them over to people. But now, this is a good age.” And sometimes planning date night is www.palmettoparent.com less about the date and more about the big picture. “You have to realize your marriage is just as important as your child,” Pappas said. “It’s OK to leave your child for a few hours.” Embrace the date Schaller said she tells new parents that taking a break is worth it. “Try not to talk about the kids,” she said. “ at’s one of our rules for date night. Your child will bene t. Your stress level will be less. If you have a break and time to rejuvenate, you can say, ‘I can do this.’ Somebody gave me the best advice: baby-sitters are cheaper than lawyers. at keeps it in perspective.” ✽ October 2012
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