People get into new relationships and even marriages everyday. In the beginning, its all new and exciting; you date, buy each-other presents, and do fun things together all the time.
A few years in, however, life kicks in: work is stressful, you're tired, you just want to turn off the world and watch TV. We'd be willing to bet boredom is as big a cause for divorce as anything else.
In an effort to curtail the divorce rate amongst local South Floridians, around two dozen area restaurants have teamed up with Date Night Florida to help married couples get out of the house and work on strengthening relationships.
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In the Unites States, the divorce rate sits at just around 50 percent; essentially, half of all marital unions end up in dissolution.
Florida has the eighth highest divorce rate in the country. In 2011, the Center for Disease Control claimed there were 4.5 divorces per every 1,000 people in the state. That same year the US average was 3.6.
The goal of Date Night Florida is to get long established couples to get back to dating each other. The program includes restaurant deals and a free app, created by Gloo, that features plenty of date night ideas, conversation starters, and couples quizzes.
Pat and Patricia Hartman have been married seven years, and due to the normal routines of busy life, dating each other had become low on their priority list, but thanks to Date Night Florida, they have committed to dating once a week.
"It's kind of your phone reminder to date," said Patricia Hartman. As someone who works with individuals going through the divorce process, Hartman sees the importance of not taking your spouse for granted. "You just hear, over and over, the same things: they're not connected, they grew apart."
Participating restaurants across Broward and Palm Beach counties include Padrinos Cuban Cuisine, Roccos Tacos & Tequila Bar, City Oyster and Sushi Bar, Big City Tavern in Fort Lauderdale, Checkers Old Munchen, By Word of Mouth, Grease Burger Bar, City Cellar, Sukhothai, Vienna Cafe and Wine Car, and more.
And hey, even if you have a great relationship, we could all use a dinner deal.
Date Night Florida is supported by Live the Life, a statewide nonprofit organization aiming to strengthen marriages and families by offering relationship education programs to prepare, strengthen and restore healthy relationships for individuals, couples and parents. It also works with teens. This is the first digital program the organization has offered.
For more information on Date Night Florida and participating restaurants, visit datenightflorida.com/site.
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