What Your Bedroom Says About Your Marriage
We spend a huge amount of time in our bedrooms. When you think about it, the bedroom should be one of the most important rooms in the house. We sleep in there, get dressed, primp, enjoy other activities (ahem).
But I realized I definitely don’t treat our bedroom like the sanctuary it’s supposed to be. I frequently bring the laptop into bed with me (bad Tara – just bad!) and I have papers, books, and magazines covering my side table. My bedroom actually functions more like a bedroom/office and I know it’s horrible.
In an effort to strengthen our marriage, I decided to start with the bedroom. My ongoing project for the year is the buy all new pillows, comforters, sheets, etc, to make the room really feel like a place we can just relax and get comfy. I am doing my best to keep the electronics out of the room (although I can admit I’m losing the battle to get rid of the TV).
How do you know if you might need to make some changes in the bedroom? Follow me and take a look at…
Your bed. Do you get up in the morning and make your bed before heading out for the day? Are the covers all askew when you get home because you left in a rush that morning (most mornings)? Do you make it a point to buy nice sheets? How old are the pillows on your bed? Is it a simply a place to sleep (and other nighttime activities)?
Your dresser. Is it covered in old receipts and empty gum wrappers? Are your perfume bottles all in a row? Are the dresser drawers usually open or closed? Are they overstuffed?
The floor. Are there clothes everywhere? Are they clean or dirty?
The TV. Is there a TV in your bedroom? Do you keep the TV on all night as you sleep? Do you lay and watch Law & Order instead of talking to each other?
The kids’ stuff. Could someone walking into your bedroom immediately tell you have kids: a child’s sock on the floor, your daughter’s favorite Dora the Explorer shirt in the corner, your son’s blankie on the bed?
If you found yourself cringing or thinking to yourself, “Um, yeah. Guilty on all those,” there is hope for us yet. Here’s four resolutions I had to make to keep our bedroom feeling comfortable and sexy:
1) We will put the clothes away the same day they are washed. Yeah, we’re guilty of the “Just grab a clean shirt out of the clothes basket” routine, but I noticed that if it do it that way, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to “Are these clothes clean or dirty?” And no one wins at that game.
2) We will keep the kids stuff in THEIR room. I hated climbing in bed at night and having to take Curious George books out from under the comforter, or spraining my ankle on a stray Lego.
3) We will use the sleep timer on the TV. This is our compromise on keeping the TV in the bedroom. (But I still want it gone!)
4) We will not do work into the bedroom. This one is mainly for me, but I’ve made a vow that work (and my laptop) stays downstairs. Yes, that means not browsing Facebook while in the bed. My attention should be focused on other, more important, things. *smile*
Is it a struggle to keep your bedroom a “room for romance”? Who’s taking these pledges with me? Do you think making your bedroom an inviting space can make a positive impact on your marriage?
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