{Parenting} The 30-Minute Date: Creative Date Ideas for Busy Parents

I have a new parenting article up over at Care.com with some great ideas and tips on how to keep the romance alive in your relationship as your navigate parenthood.

Regularly setting aside just half an hour to reconnect with your partner can be invaluable to your relationship.

You and your partner are always on the run -- working, caring for the kids, cleaning -- so free time is limited and valuable. Date night is often the first thing jettisoned when you're crunched for time, so you barely get a chance for dinner and a movie, let alone trying any creative date ideas. Certified life coach Laurie Jacobsen says it's vital that you make time for dates -- for the good of your relationship: "Removing yourself from your day-to-day environment, where bills rule and dogs bark, is important because it allows you to relax with your partner in a way that can't typically be done at home.

Carrie Cole, a licensed counselor at the Center for Relationship Wellness in Texas, says that regular dates create a ritual of connection and give couples a sense of shared meaning. "Time spent together unifies you as a couple and creates a sense that you're in it together," she says.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.