I guess my thoughts on the 'priorities' are this:
Of course I am not a mom yet so I cannot absolutely know how things will be, but bottom line - if I am not in tune with God, I am not going to be the best wife or mother that I can be. Of course, if one of the kids starts screaming or the house is on fire while I am having a prayer time, I'm not just going to turn a blind eye and say, "They'll have to wait, I'm with God right now, He comes first!"
Young children do tend to have very urgent needs that can take much of your focus. I think where people get into trouble is giving ALL of their energy to the kids and having nothing left over for their spouse or God. If you cater to the children's every whim and your every waking moment is centered on them, your relationship with your spouse and with God will suffer, and then you're back full circle to not being the parent you should be.
It is the little things that establish your priorities, like being firm about having the kids go to bed at a reasonable time so you and your spouse can have quiet time together. It means getting up early in the morning, even when you are tired and don't feel like it, to read and pray. Again, I know this is all theoretical in my situation, but nathan1977 has it right with, "We will be in the house together long after the kids have left, so it's kind of incumbent on us to put each other and our marriage first. Best advice I got about being a father (mother): "the best way to be a good father is to be a good husband (wife)."
I am going to be a better wife if my heart is focused on God. When I love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength and nurture my relationship with Him, the other things naturally fall into their proper place.
And I understand that if you don't ascribe to all the 'God' stuff, then probably none of this makes any sense. I wonder if people think well, if God's gotta be first, that leaves 9 hours a day for Him, 8 hours a day for the spouse, and 7 hours a day for the kids. It's not about the time, it's about the priority. But 'priority' can mean many different things to many different people
Sorry for rambling
Of course I am not a mom yet so I cannot absolutely know how things will be, but bottom line - if I am not in tune with God, I am not going to be the best wife or mother that I can be. Of course, if one of the kids starts screaming or the house is on fire while I am having a prayer time, I'm not just going to turn a blind eye and say, "They'll have to wait, I'm with God right now, He comes first!"
Young children do tend to have very urgent needs that can take much of your focus. I think where people get into trouble is giving ALL of their energy to the kids and having nothing left over for their spouse or God. If you cater to the children's every whim and your every waking moment is centered on them, your relationship with your spouse and with God will suffer, and then you're back full circle to not being the parent you should be.
It is the little things that establish your priorities, like being firm about having the kids go to bed at a reasonable time so you and your spouse can have quiet time together. It means getting up early in the morning, even when you are tired and don't feel like it, to read and pray. Again, I know this is all theoretical in my situation, but nathan1977 has it right with, "We will be in the house together long after the kids have left, so it's kind of incumbent on us to put each other and our marriage first. Best advice I got about being a father (mother): "the best way to be a good father is to be a good husband (wife)."
I am going to be a better wife if my heart is focused on God. When I love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength and nurture my relationship with Him, the other things naturally fall into their proper place.
And I understand that if you don't ascribe to all the 'God' stuff, then probably none of this makes any sense. I wonder if people think well, if God's gotta be first, that leaves 9 hours a day for Him, 8 hours a day for the spouse, and 7 hours a day for the kids. It's not about the time, it's about the priority. But 'priority' can mean many different things to many different people
Sorry for rambling