Husband vs Dad

Week 9

As I type this, I am hours away from becoming a father for the fourth time. It has me thinking about a very important lesson I have learned. 

Being a dad is an unbelievable joy. But before I was a dad, I became a husband. Long after our children grow up, move out, and start their own families - I will still be a husband. 

Our children are our priority. They are a responsibility that God has blessed us with. I love being a dad. I try to give my kids as much of myself as I can. 

The lesson I learned is that I will always identify myself as a husband. Before we became parents, we were a couple. Some marriages become stale and can only identify themselves as "mom and dad" while forgetting that at one point they were super in love. Whitney and I haven't become a couple that only identifies ourselves as parents. 

We raise our children to leave us. One day, Elle and Skye will find a new man that captures their heart. I will take a step back. Matthew and Wil will find a woman to become the new top priority in their life. Whitney will take a step back. At that point, we will have each other. We have invested in our marriage even while having a house full of kids. When they do grow up and leave us one day, we won't be looking at each other wondering what to do. We will be sad our kids have gone. But because we have always identified ourselves as husband/wife first and dad/mom second, I have no worries about a stale marriage in the empty nest years.  

You may have children before you know it. Or it may be a few years. Either way, continue to invest in your wife. When you become parents, don't forget that you were husband and wife before "mom and dad." That will last a lifetime. 

It is easy to fall in love

It takes work to plan a wedding

It takes a lifetime to build a marriage