Give your family the attention, love, and respect they deserve and want, and you will get the same back in return. As men, we are competitive by nature. We have a strong innate desire to be able to prove to others that we are the strongest, smartest, most capable, etc. It's in our DNA, and goes back to the fifties when men spent their days hunting for food and the items they required to keep their families safe:-) The modern day equivalent is the ability to buy the biggest house, car, best vacation, etc. This drives us to spend long hours at work to ensure we're not passed over for the next promotion or we put up the best numbers in the companies for which we work. Then the weekend comes, and we feel the need to compete on the golf course, triathlong circuit, etc. These things obviously get in the way of giving our family the attention, love, and respect they deserve and want.
Spending quality time with our families should not be something we dread or feel obligated to do. If it is, we should examine the reason for that. Is our spouse really not happy with us because we don't make it a priority to come home from work at a reasonable hour to help with the kids? Are there other issues on which we are not in agreement? Financial...discipline...extended family? That will certainly put a strain on the quality of the time we spend together when we do have the opportunity. It becomes a vicious cycle that, if we don't get out of, can eventually lead to a failed marriage.
Personally I crave time with my family. I sometimes feel that my time at work is just wasted time because I crave quality time with my family. My wife and I both understand that and it helps us make the most of the time we have together. But, I also make it a priority to get home at night in time to help put my son (whom we will call Miracle Boy) to bed, which is a very early 7:00 pm. On days when Miracle Boy wakes up earlier than usual, I don't complain or wish he would go back to sleep, I look at that as an opportunity to spend more time with him.
Let's all make an effort to get some perspective on what is the most important aspect of our lives. Oh...and a very happy birthday to my better half!
Spending quality time with our families should not be something we dread or feel obligated to do. If it is, we should examine the reason for that. Is our spouse really not happy with us because we don't make it a priority to come home from work at a reasonable hour to help with the kids? Are there other issues on which we are not in agreement? Financial...discipline...extended family? That will certainly put a strain on the quality of the time we spend together when we do have the opportunity. It becomes a vicious cycle that, if we don't get out of, can eventually lead to a failed marriage.
Personally I crave time with my family. I sometimes feel that my time at work is just wasted time because I crave quality time with my family. My wife and I both understand that and it helps us make the most of the time we have together. But, I also make it a priority to get home at night in time to help put my son (whom we will call Miracle Boy) to bed, which is a very early 7:00 pm. On days when Miracle Boy wakes up earlier than usual, I don't complain or wish he would go back to sleep, I look at that as an opportunity to spend more time with him.
Let's all make an effort to get some perspective on what is the most important aspect of our lives. Oh...and a very happy birthday to my better half!
I'm at my best when I am with my wife and children... there is nothing better in the world.
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