Habit #11

Table Time

The Why

As mentioned in the previous post, Rachel and I have been instituting a new nightly routine we like to refer to as “Table Time.” Contrary to it’s childlike name, this activity is adults only and observed after we put out boys down to bed for the night. It is simply a time that the two of us sit at the kitchen table and engage in any thought-provoking activities or hobbies we want to. We may turn on the radio for a little background noise (the local oldies station has been a recent favorite and we will chime in when a familiar song comes on that piques our interest). Most of the time we’ll have some sort of calm evening beverage, like chamomile tea. The main focus of this time is dedicated to spending time together, free from the routine distractions of the day. No kids, no TV, all each other.

Though we haven’t been doing this for a long time, we are already seeing some benefits. We are on the same page more often because we devote a time in which we keep each other in the loop about our individual plans and aspirations. We also are reducing our daily television exposure, which has many benefits of its own.

The How

Our table time has not yet developed a strict routine, but it does tend to start between 8:30 and 9:00. We usually have our kids in bed by 8:00, which gives us the time in between to tie up any last household tasks and get ready for bed ourselves. Then we usually spend the next hour at the table with whatever we want, sometimes it’s reading, sometimes it’s games, but that one-on-one time as a couple is what the focus is on for this time. Your true priorities are what you make time for, and we want our marriage to be something we always make time for.