Married with children

No, this isn't about the TV show (a show which I can't stand, by the way).  It's about this current phase in life.  Andrew and I have always been good about keeping our marriage strong.  We've always been good about communicating and not always putting the children in front of the marriage...we feel that is very important.  At the same time, I am beginning to understand how, if a couple isn't careful, after the kids are grown there is suddenly a disconnect and you feel as though you are living with a stranger.  Please know, our marriage is NOT in any kind of trouble, it's just a realization of the next phase of our life...and by realizing we can be proactive.  And also, please know there will be NO over disclosure here!

When the kids were little, Andrew and I found it very easy to have a date night.  Even though we didn't want to pay for a sitter terribly often, the kids went to bed fairly early.  There was a nice restaurant in town that had fabulous ribeye steaks, and we would often bring them in and have a late dinner as our date night.  Theoretically, as the kids got older, it should've been easier...and for a couple of years it was.  They were old enough to be left alone long enough for us to grab a quick dinner.  Then however, some trust issues occurred and that became more challenging...and now it's just down right tough.  With the kids (particularly Robert) being old enough to have their own schedules and plans, we need to be available to transport which can make a date night difficult.  There is also the fact that the kids now stay up significantly later.  Although they've done that for a few years, now, Robert especially, is old enough to want to watch the same TV shows that we watch.  We enjoy his company, but at the same time our evening chat time of just Andrew and I is gone.  I'm not complaining that Robert is joining us, it's just a change and something that Andrew and I need to pay attention to...we need to make sure that we are making time to be a couple and communicate.  I know that it will happen and I know that we'll be fine, but it's a new realization for me!