i have had several conversations recently with friends who have 1 or 2 kids. they all revolved in how their marriage changed with kids, the difference in how a man handles the new little ones and how a woman handles the new little ones, and how stress seems to be a normal factor of life now. being in a marriage relationship requires energy to be as loving as you should be to your spouse. when kids enter the picture, especially young ones that may not yet sleep through the night, or, require a lot of energy during the day, a lot of your energy ends up devoted to them. it makes the marriage relationship that much more difficult to focus on. its not an easy road. it is so worth it. i commend those who want to wait to have kids.

for those of you who think kids might save your relationship, be careful. it could have the opposite result. kids are a hard core time and energy commitment, as they should be.

like anything worth anything, relationships and raising kids takes time and energy. be even more patient and gracious with parents of young children. we are sleep deprived zoombies. we may not know where the nearest salon is, but, we do know where to find cheerios.