Side by Side

Q:  Although my husband and I are home in the evenings and our kids are grown and on their own, we rarely spend time together after dinner. I watch my shows on television and he works on his computer late into the night, after I’m in bed. What can we do to change this? 

A: This is common for many couples. Even without technological temptations, couples sometimes have trouble synchronizing their body clocks to get to bed at the same time. Try having a heart-to-heart talk about striking a balance for the sake of quality time in your relationship. See if you can agree to two "techno-free" nights a week—without the television, computer or Blackberry. Work as a team to come up with another way to fill that time as a couple. Play cards, a board game, or chat over coffee. Can you agree to go to bed at the same time on those nights? If one of you usually goes to sleep later than the other, find an hour in between to end your day together.

Kathy Dawson is a Cleveland Heights author and relationship coach. Send questions for this column to kathy@kathythecoach.com. To learn more, visit www.kathythecoach.com