When was the last time you went on great date… with your husband or significant other? We’re talking one-on-one, no kids around quality time. If the answer is ‘too long ago to remember’, then it’s time to read on…

In his book, marriage coach and author Mort Fertel says a happy marriage requires scheduled fun time together every week. In fact, he says that the most successful marriages are those in which the rules of dating – be romantic, make special plans in advance and so on- still apply. Sit and have a chat with your partner one of these days, and try remembering how you spend time together when you fell in love. You need to do a few of those things once every week to have a successful, romantic marriage. And that is why couples should keep some time away for each other and go on dates- frequently.

Date night can work wonders in your marriage if you follow four guidelines.

• Get out of the house, go somewhere romantic- like a restaurant you both used to frequent before. The idea is to rekindle that magical feeling of romance.
• When on date, talk about anything, everything. If you have enough time, you can watch a movie and then spend a couple of hours talking over dinner.
• No, attending a friend’s party together is not considered a date night. The idea is to be cozy twosome.
• Schedule at least couple of hours for date night. Don’t tell your oldest child or the babysitter that you’ll be back in an hour. Date night should be an evening.

Date night can help transform your marriage, but you have to tune into the spirit of the exercise. Two people can go on date and not connect. If you go to a mall and read a magazine while your spouse tries on clothes that are not a date. If you go to dinner and spend the evening talking to the waiter about how you want your meal prepared- it’s not going to have much impact on your marriage, but if help your spouse pick out an outfit and have fun offering your opinion, you will connect. If you talk over dinner about how you might prepare the dish at home, you will achieve the purpose of date night.

Get creative with date night. Experiment and find fun things to do together. Take a board game to a coffee house. See if you can climb that tree at the corner of the block. Go to local amusement park. Go race toy cars. Have a picnic in the park. Or just sit down for a quiet meal at a restaurant. Whatever you do, focus on each other. Date night is not about what you do, it’s about you.