Marriage: Have Some Fun

Marriages need to be nourished, and part of that nourishment is having fun together.   Sometimes we get caught up in the frenzy of life and forget to just break out and have a good time together. Every couple has their own description of fun, and what is fun to one couple may not be fun to another. Don’t be afraid to explore and find things that are just right for you.

One couple very near and dear to my heart love to play pool, even participating in tournaments. When they aren’t playing pool, they are playing endless board games. It is fun for me to watch their relationship develop as they play together. Young couples raising small children may not be able to get away long enough to play pool, but there are other ways to play. My husband and I used to occasionally put a jigsaw puzzle together for fun. It was a great way to relieve stress at the end of the day after the kids went to bed, and we didn’t have to hire a babysitter to have some fun together. Gardening can be fun for some couples to do together. It can be therapeutic to dig in the soil and make things grow.

My city has an “old town,” and we liked to get away sometimes and just walk around the little shops and buy fresh squeezed lemonade and chocolate candy from the candy stores. Now that we are retired and have more time, we like to take little day trips, get out in the fresh air, and see some of the countryside. We also like flea markets and farmer’s markets. Baseball games are also fun for us to enjoy together.

Having fun together relieves stress, strengthens bonds, and encourages communication between marriage partners.

“Sometimes mutual enjoyment is taken for granted, with the idea that a good relationship means being mature and responsible, and that true feelings needn’t always be expressed. Certainly these are important requisites for a good marriage, but enjoying the companionship of your spouse and having fun together should not be excluded or played down in a marriage. It is essential that marriage partners have time together for mutual relaxation and recreation.” (Pearson, Dale F., ‘Love Conquers All’ . . . And Other Fanciful Notions, Ensign, June 1973)

Learn to laugh in difficult situations. Laughing is good for the soul. If you can laugh at yourself and your situation (no matter how awkward), life just seems a little better all around. Marriage is hard sometimes, so lighten up! Life is to be enjoyed.

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World,  The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,)

Start a list of wholesome recreational activities. There could be two separate lists if you have children; one for you and your spouse, and the other which includes children. Try lots of activities—stretch your imagination. Possibilities are endless. If you don’t like something after giving it a try, delete it from your list. If you like something well enough to do it again, put a star next to it, or highlight it. Once you have a good list of fun things, make a habit of incorporating them into your life as often as possible.

I reached out to some friends on social media to see what kinds of things they like to do with their spouse. Here’s what they told me—with very little editing because they are too cute to edit.

• Any time spent is fun . . . it’s all attitude.

• We would wrestle.

• Play pool and board games. We also watch reality TV shows together.

• We run a Bunco group together, go to country music concerts, movies, and attend Turkish dinners.

• We enjoy reading books out loud to each other.

• Ballroom dance.

• We like to watch TV and movies together, as well as go for walks, bowling, and playing pool.

• Cuddle, we love to cuddle. We also like to go out to eat a lot and watch movies. Also the gym. Laugh. We make dinner together, too. He watches Victorian dramas with me.

• We love to cuddle and snuggle.

• Watch sports (we both like), go out to eat, travel, talk, play sports, go on walks.

• Go on walks, swimming, watch old movies, and eat take out. I love it when we accomplish a project together.

• Cook a new recipe together.

• I pick him up from work and we go to McDonald’s without the kids.

• We love to research traditional/historical ways of doing things that have been nearly lost in this modern age, and then trying out some of the things that we learn about. We are always teaching each other new crafts and recipes.

• We love to go fishing in the local streams! Take long walks on nature trails and marvel at all the wonderful gifts that God has given to us. Great stress relievers.

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  MarriageTo read all of Tudie Rose’s article on marriage, click the picture.

  We just love spending time together—walking, watching old movies, eating out, reading LDS General Conference talks together, going on day trips like Apple Hill, Nevada City, Auburn, etc. Our favorite destination is Pacific Grove. We love talking walks on the beach. We have lots of fun together! My hubby is my best friend.

• Doesn’t anyone just cuddle anymore? Put that in your book.

• Hubby learned how to send texts from his new cell phone, so our new fun thing is to send messages back and forth just as he leaves work to come home. He loves being cryptic and silly. After 40 years of marriage, this is about all the fun we can handle!

As you can see from the responses, there are many ways to have fun together, and there is no right or wrong way to go about it. I do love the cuddling comments best, as that’s my favorite way to spend time with my husband. Start your own list and give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how much fun it is to try new things together as a married couple.