Empty Journals Are For Suckers (And Other Lessons From DateNight)

12/18/2016

You’ve gotten mugs, mittens, and macaroni art. You’ve gotten journals you don’t write in, shower gel that gave you hives, and candles you’ll never burn. Holidays!! That time of year when the pressure to get something, anything, can net you a bunch of stuff you don’t actually want and will probably never use.

So what do parents want? Let’s just say there’s never quite enough of it in a day (and no, it’s not chocolate). We want time. And not just any time: good, meaningful, memory-making time. Time with our partners, time with our friends, time with our families, and time to ourselves. And, unlike chocolate, you can’t just run down to the time store and pick up an extra hour or two.

DateNight can help with that. An app started by a Toronto mom to connect experienced, trustworthy babysitters to the families that need them, DateNight began as a way for parents to have, you know, dates. Now it’s grown into a service that gives families freedom.

For a reasonable thirty-four dollars a year, parents browse DateNight’s roster of pre-interviewed child care providers. Some are university or high school students; some are Early Childhood Educators; some have worked as nannies. Once parents have chosen a few babysitters to meet, they arrange for an in-home or Skype interview to seal the deal. Then all they have to do is make a date. There’s no scramble to find a babysitter. You won’t have to beg on Facebook or rely on the in-laws. It’s babysitting, but easy.

This year, DateNight gift cards make an excellent addition to your holiday shopping. Available in denominations from $10 to $200, they can be used towards special nights out on the town, or cover the cost of a monthly membership. Babysitters are available during the workday and in the evenings, on Friday nights and Monday mornings. If you’re the type of friend who says, “Call me anytime you need a babysitter!” consider giving DateNight instead. The service offers a “Guaranteed Available” perk that promises childcare even when everyone else (including you) is busy.

What DateNight really offers is flexibility. Working parents can rely on the fast, easy service when deadlines are fast approaching and a late night at the office is inevitable. Last-minute tickets to a concert or show come your way? Now you can enthusiastically accept, instead of passing. Celebrating your anniversary no longer requires checking your parent’s datebook before you make a reservation. You can live your grown-up life and know that your kids are being looked after. (Honestly, they’re probably stoked to show someone new their Hatchimals collection.)

Look, we all love the macaroni art and the mittens. But the holidays are a time when we just get so much stuff, and we still don’t have enough time. DateNight offers a solution. You can cut down on the candles and journals that collect dust on your shelf, and you can start making amazing memories. Go see a movie on opening night instead of waiting for it on Netflix. Call up your college friends—you know, the people you haven’t seen since your second kid was born?—and go for a round of drinks, guilt-free. Treat your partner to an impromptu afternoon stroll and a delicious treat from one of Toronto’s award-winning bakeries. Or even take time for yourself: a massage, a manicure, a trip to the paintball range, whatever.  DateNight gift certificates make it easy, affordable, and accessible.

About our author, Elize Shirdel:

Elize is an engineer who founded and built the technology for DateNight Babysitting in 2013 when her second son went to daycare (a home care, actually). She would have started it sooner, but she never got any sleep when her kids were small — so it was basically impossible. DateNight has been growing successfully since then, having booked over 2000 dates for many happy families and babysitters alike. In the New Year, DateNight will be raising their first seed round of funding — an exciting, (slightly scary!) and rare endeavour for a technology company built by women. Elize gets a lot more sleep now — but there’s usually still a kid in her bed somewhere at some point.