When you have children, you need to devote so much time and energy to taking care of them and keeping them happy that you often have less time for your spouse, but if you don’t make the effort to maintain a strong relationship, it could lead to trouble.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to maintain a strong relationship when the children come along.

Have date nights

Having a regular date night is a must when you have young children, even if you have to pay a babysitter, and even if it is just for a couple of hours each week. Spending some quality time just the two of you, stalking and having fun like you used to will help to keep the spark alive and remind you both why you got together in the first place.

Do nice things for each other

It is often the little things that help to bond you and keep your relationship fresh, so make a point of doing lots of nice little things for each other whenever you can. Buy him one of those beard care kits he’s always wanted for his grooming regime, send her on that cookery course she’s always wanted to try, leave little love notes for each other, massage each other’s feet. Just do as many things as you can to show them you care and maintain a strong relationship.

Give each other space

That being said, it can really help if you are able to give each other some spade to do your own thing now and again, raising kids can be tough and it doesn’t leave much time for anything else, by watching the kids while your spouse goes to a game with friends or takes a class or chats with her girlfriends, you give each other a breather which lets you both blow off steam so that when you do come back together you don’t take your frustrations out on each other.

Talk

It’s obvious, but if you want to maintain a strong relationship, you need to be able to talk to each other. When you put the kids to bed at night, set aside a little time where you can tell each other about your day, discuss any issues with your relationship, and of course, talk about how much you love each other too. Don’t make anything off-limits, discuss things calmly and you will find that you rogue less overall which is much better for you all.

Work as a team

String relationships are all about the teamwork. Don’t leave your spouse to handle all the bath times or all the cooking duties, or whatever might be tricky, divide tasks up evenly, have each other’s backs, present a united front when the kids are concerned, and you will have less reason to quarrel.

Your kids come first, but your relationship really matters too, so be sure to do whatever you can to keep it strong.