By: Larissa Nothof
Growing up, my mother and I would have “date nights” at least once a month to spend more quality time together. We would switch up activities but these are my favourites.
Starbucks & Books:
My mother always encouraged reading and I give her full credit to my book obsession. On this date night, we would hop in the car and drive to Chapters. We split up to wander down the aisles to find a new book to dive into. After browsing and picking up a few options, we would meet up near the till to pay. Usually, we would get around one to three books at a time. We would always pick out one new bookmark by the registers whenever we bought new books. We would grab a hot chocolate or a Frappuccino at Starbucks and find a place to sit. We would always aim to sit at the comfy chairs by the fireplace for optimal reading aesthetic. After getting comfortable, we would open our brand-new books and just
read quietly to ourselves. No conversation was had but it was all about enjoying each others company.
Mattress Movie Night:
I remember doing this back when you could still rent VHS movies. The night began with an outing to Blockbuster, (aging myself a little here) where we would both agree on a movie for the night. Usually, movie night was also pizza night and that would be picked up on our way home. The next task was to grab my mothers queen sized mattress, hoist it up on its side, and push it into the living room. The carpet flooring always made that a bit of a challenge. The mattress would be placed in the middle of the floor using the couch as a headboard. After the blankets were brought out and the “bed” was made, it was time for the movie. Usually, we could only last through one movie before falling asleep in the living room, that is where we would spend the night. It was a very simple thing to just watch a movie, but my mother always found ways to make it more fun.
Mario Kart:
This date night event usually took place at least once a week once we had a Nintendo Wii at home. Grabbing the controllers with the wheel accessories, we booted up the Wii system. Once we were good at the game, we would challenge ourselves to play online with other players. We would have fun ganging up on players who seemed to have it out for us. Mario Kart always helped the two of us release the stress of the day. Something about hitting the person in front of you with a shell is just…so satisfying. My best friend also had the game and would join us online frequently.
This was a very simple activity to do but it was also quality time with each other. Even to this day, we will fire up our upgraded WiiU to kick some butt at Mario Kart!
I always enjoy the time I spend with my mom. Now that I’m an adult, we find many other things to do. You don’t necessarily
need to do an extravagant activity to make it memorable. The one thing that matters the most is who you spend that time with. I will always appreciate the quality time we spend together, and I believe it helps our relationship stay strong.
