Q: How do you and your partner carve out private time for each other?

Alexis Glick
Anchor and VP of Business News
Fox Business Network
Kids: Logan, 7, Kyle, 5, and Slate, 2

A: When my husband, Oren, and I started a family, we committed to finding a weekend or two of alone time away from the kids each year. This hasn’t always been possible. The past year was particularly difficult given my on-air job at Fox Business and the election. I had to travel a great deal. Since my husband owns his own business, he joins me on the road when he can. We also managed to escape together for a long weekend trip to celebrate our ninth wedding anniversary. But the bottom line is that couple time is not easy to find.

I wake up at 4:00 a.m., and Oren watches the kids when they wake up until our babysitter arrives. I get home in the afternoon, and he gets home closer to dinnertime. In the evening, I go to bed shortly after my kids, somewhere between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Given our schedules, Oren and I find time together in the afternoon. We sneak out for a late lunch or a movie once a week. And when we need time together on the weekends or a night out, one of our parents will watch the kids. It helps that all of our parents live fairly close to us. Oren and I are also very fortunate that our baby sitter, Olivia, has been with us for six years. She treats our children as though they were her own and understands when we need a last-minute night out on the town.

My advice: Get the best help you can and appreciate those who give your family support. We would be nowhere without Olivia. My second piece of advice: Find the time. The best conversations Oren and I have had about our past, present and future occur when we slip away. I feel guilty leaving the kids, but I know that they will be much happier, much healthier and have much better memories if Mommy and Daddy are connected. Happy parents who love each other are essential. I know I’m blessed to have a husband who still adores me after three C-sections, graying hair and an extra wrinkle or two in all the wrong places.

Jessica Igoe
Director of Sponsorship Marketing
American Express
Kids: fraternal twins Sofia and Jordan, 5

A: Years ago, when I emerged from the haze of having newborn twins, I realized that it was critical for me to carve out time with my husband, Tommy, and not make my children the absolute center of the household. I didn’t want to turn to him when our kids were 18 years old and say, “Who are you again?” because I’d lost touch with the person I decided to have children with in the first place.

It’s challenging for Tommy and me to have a traditional “date night.” I work during the day, and he works nights as a professional musician. Having dinner as a family is difficult enough, never mind as a couple. Still, we have a few solutions that work for us. I work from home twice a week, and we take advantage of that time by having lunch together. While lunches aren’t necessarily romantic, they give us a chance to discuss our lives and reconnect without being interrupted by the two little rascals.

We also take mini vacations without our kids. Whether it’s the overnight trip to Philly that we took this summer or our four days in the Caribbean for our tenth anniversary, these trips recharge us and make us a better couple and parenting team. Tommy and I do grab the occasional spontaneous night out.

Because these tend to be very infrequent, they are often the most valued. Most of the alone time we enjoy is thanks to our patchwork quilt of child care. This consists of my mom, three sitters and a girlfriend or two for emergency backup—and I am forever grateful to all of them. Getting time alone with your partner is never easy, especially when both parents work, but it’s vital to my happiness and that of my family.

Mary Garrett
VP, Marketing and Communications,
Global Sales and Distribution
IBM
Kids: Hayden, 18, Brad, 16

A: My husband, Darren, and I know the importance of rejuvenating weekend getaways—good for the mind, body and soul. A weekend that stands out was at the Sagamore, a historic hotel in New York state with a lot of character and a fantastic restaurant. Very romantic.

Another great weekend was a quick trip in January to Florida, where we stayed in a newly opened luxury hotel. It was wonderful having lots of time together and not feeling rushed. Sipping good wine and having a few nice meals was just what the doctor ordered.

Darren and I met five years ago and married three years ago. We each have a child from a previous marriage: my son, Hayden, and Darren’s son, Brad.

Until last summer, we had shared custody of our sons. That meant throughout our dating and married life we had two or three nights a week without any children at home, so making time for a date night was pretty easy. We’d meet in New York City, where Darren was working, and go out on the town for sushi or to a little French bistro we both like. It was our time.

But now we’ve got a new living situation. Hayden is off to college, but Brad has moved in with us full-time. He had been living with his mom most of the week, but we changed the arrangements last summer when we all agreed it would be better for him to live with us fulltime.

So, while we can’t scoot off and have our date nights like we used to, we enjoy time with Brad. We’re helping a young man realize his potential, be grounded and know he’s loved.

Do we miss date nights? Of course we do. We still have one night a week that Brad spends with his mom. We don’t go to New York City anymore, or out for sushi or French food, but Darren cooks a marvelous meal, and we hang out and snuggle on the couch and appreciate a different kind of together time