Building Stepfamilies That Work©	

Dating Assignment

© Dr Bill Nodrick and Bev Nodrick 2007

Consider this: A typical job is for 40 hours per week. If you want to keep your job, you have to put in 40 hours of work each week or you’ll surely loose it.

Most of us feel that jobs come and go, but our relationship is “forever”, and we truly want to keep it. 

How many hours per week do you think you have to put into a relationship that’s running into difficulties if you want to keep it? The experts say when a relationship is in trouble, it will take about 15 hours per week to bring it back to health. Can you find that much time for your relationship? Let’s see…

Hours in week:  24 x 7 =	168 
- Job: 40hours			-40
- Sleep		7 x 7 =		-49
				 79 hours.

Clearly, there’s no shortage of time; and there are many ways to tally up a total of 15 hours. Some examples include: taking a course together, bike riding, helping each other with the dishes, camping, walking the dog, listening to music you both enjoy, and most importantly…dating.

Your Assignment:	To date each week—from now until forever.

Dating Rules:  Pick a date time and set it in stone.  One week the female arranges the date; the next week the male arranges the date. However, (if you are doing the planning) the date MUST be something your partner would like to do. (Knowing that our partner is planning something special just for us makes us feel special.)

Important Considerations:
	Doesn’t have to be expensive (e.g. walk, picnic)
	Doesn’t have to be long
	Can be a surprise, OR
You can talk to your partner about it and plan together. (If you don’t know what your partner would like—ASK!)
NO KIDS OR OTHER COUPLES ALLOWED
NO PROBLEM TALK (e.g. about misbehaving kids, financial worries, work difficulties, prior spouses, etc.)
Just hang out and rediscover one another.	

All rights reserved. The reproduction, use, distribution or storage or of this work, in whole or in part, by any and all means, without the express written permission of the author, is strictly prohibited.	

Dating.rtf Feb 2008