My Husband and Relationships

From what I hear and from my experience, having children can sometimes be pretty rough on a marriage. Not necessarily because things are bad, but just because you are so busy and consumed with caring for your children that your relationship often gets put to the side for a while. You're just trying to survive the sleep deprivation and you have little time or patience for things that aren't demanding your attention.

For me, this was definitely hardest with my first child. I was so excited for that baby to get here and to proudly wear my new title as "Mommy." This was something I had dreamed about my whole life. I have always wanted children and I couldn't wait for it to be my turn. Then when it finally happened, I was exhausted, scared to death, and completely consumed by taking care of this beautiful little baby. While I did have a new appreciation and love for my husband because he was now the father and co-creator of my new pride and joy, Mommy had become my new identity. To be honest, that identity took over for a while and it was really hard to turn it off and just be "Lindsey" or "Clayton's wife." I've talked to a lot of women who have had a similar experience.

This was an important lesson for me and I really tried to take it to heart. When we had Owen, I was determined not to make that mistake again. And I must confess, it's been so amazing. I feel like Clayton and I have rediscovered why we fell in love in the first place. Don't misunderstand me, being a mother is absolutely one of the greatest gifts God has given me. However, I firmly believe that one of the most important things I can do for my children, is to make our marriage a priority. Making a marriage work is tough. It takes two people who are willing to work at it constantly. I know we will always have struggles and our life together will be filled with peaks and valleys. But when you are both working at it and making it a priority, the peaks are that much sweeter. <3

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.  ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966
I love you, Clayton Smith. You just keep getting better. :)