Red, White or Blue Night

I was listening to the radio the other day and they were asking married couples how often they had time alone with their spouse. They suggested going away for the weekend or even doing a special project or outdoor activity. Most people answered that they were so busy with their children that there was little, or no time left to spend with their mates.

   It made me remember our "date night" when our children were young. We rarely got to go anywhere because of the expense of a babysitter. We never lived close to any relatives so usually one or other of us was responsible for childcare.  We came up with "Red, White or Blue Night".

    One Friday night a month was our date night.  We would make a pizza for the kids and rent a "kids' movie" for them. We would tell them that they were responsible for eating their pizza and cleaning up after themselves. They could watch the movie, play games, or read a book. They could not go out of the house or play in the kitchen.

    We explained to them that Mommy and Daddy needed some alone time and that we would be in our bedroom, but they were not to disturb us unless it was a Red, White or Blue situation.

   Red was for blood. If anyone was hurt, bleeding, had a bloody nose, or needed a bandage they could come and get us immediately.

  White was for passing out. If anyone fainted or was sick or throwing up. They could come and get us immediately. 

  Blue was having difficulty breathing. If someone couldn't breathe or was choking. they could get us right away. 

   For the most part, they did pretty well. I remember being called on to settle some arguments, but it was really nice to be able to spend some alone time with Mr. Wonderful and still know that the kids were close by if they needed us. Most of the time we would just cuddle and watch some TV while we ate our pizza or actually have a conversation without having to jump up to mop up spilled milk or referee. We never got to watch a movie unless the kids were already asleep, but it made our date night special without the guilt and expense of a babysitter. It worked for us.