How to Keep a Marriage From Going Stale

Ahhh, the smell of fresh marriage in the morning!

The key to a successful marriage is to keep the relationship of the spouses exciting. Keeping a marriage from going stale is easy as long as you are emotionally open and comfortable being vulnerable with your spouse. With all of the risk run by the emotional exposure, you get the amazing reward of a happy, exciting marriage that retains the excitement of puppy love for decades.

Instructions

1. Commit to at least one date night per month. This date should be sacred and appear on each of your calendars. It should be treated with the respect of a multi-billion dollar business deal and should be shown the same importance. The date need not be expensive, but the commitment to spend that night with each other with no work or child distractions must be firm.

2. Play card games or board games once per month. Separate from date night or a part of it should be a night when you each shut off your computers, turn off the television, remove the Bluetooth and play a game. If game night is separate from date night, you can include the kids in the game, or some neighbors. The key to the night is to interact with your spouse in a fun environment that requires communication.

3. Participate in team building exercises and events. Team building is not just for office teams. As a married couple, you and your spouse are a team for life. Find some team building games and events in your area once a quarter and play them with your spouse. Whether you enter a three-legged contest, play on the same paint ball team, or bowl for the same team in a league, you and your spouse should continue to exercise your teamwork muscles in a fun way.

4. Appreciate your spouse's everyday contributions. When trying to keep a marriage from going stale, appreciation is an often overlooked factor. Thank your spouse when they clean, take out the garbage, mow the lawn, do the dishes, and so forth. Neither spouse is a slave, and neither should be expected to take on certain tasks as “duties.”

5. Be playful and invoke some of the fun you had while dating. The playful, carefree days of dating are all too quickly replaced by the grind of everyday survival after a couple gets married. Try to keep some of that carefree fun within your daily lives. Do silly things together, continue to learn about each other, and try new things together.

Tips & Warnings

• Dedicate as much effort to your marriage as you do your job or favorite hobby.