I have always wondered whether children know how much their parents love them. When we are younger, I think we are naive enough to believe our parents lives revolve mostly around us kids. With the constant back and forth driving to school, soccer games, sleepovers, and birthday parties…how could they have time to worry about anything else? I am guilty of thinking that I was more than my parents main focus…I was their only focus!
When couples welcome a child into the world everything changes. Children for the most part are helpless and therefore are completely dependent on their parents. It’s no wonder some relationships can lose a bit of spark when children are brought into the mix. Which leads me to ask the question…should the marriage or the child come first? After all, the love for your spouse and for your children are different. But, is one stronger than the other?
It’s easy to say that you sacrifice a little of your marriage when taking care of your children. You want to make sure they are happy and you put your attention into making that a reality. But at what point do you put your child’s happiness above yours or even your spouses? Your children are always watching you and learning from the things that they see you do. If you want to make sure your child is happy you need to make sure you are happy. If you are now married to a stranger because you were too focused on your child…your child can see the distance between his/her parents. They can hear the bickering, whispered comments, and feel the separation that is growing between you two.
Yes, it’s important to make sure your child is happy! To accomplish this, you need to surround him or her with happy people! Your child is important but so are you and so is your spouse. I can’t say that either relationship should be focused on more but rather an equal amount. Remember…your child is someone you created AND your spouse is someone you chose to love and create a child with; these are both powerful relationships!
