How Does Parenthood Affect Marriage?

In this video, my wife and I answer the question, “How does parenthood affect marriage?” Having kids is such a blessing from the Lord, but it definitely changes your life.

Having kids affects your relationships with your spouse in many ways. One of the challenges when children enter the marriage is that you have so much less time. As Bethany and I both note, once you have kids it’s really important to be more intentional about your goals and what you want to invest your “free time” in since you have less of it.

Another way parenthood affects marriage is that you will probably have a different parenting style than your spouse, and you will need to work through the disagreements that will arise.

On the flipside, having differences between mom and dad should be a positive because the kids need both mom and dad to play different roles in their lives. Having kids also benefits your marriage because you get to see your spouse in a whole new light.

There are many more things you could talk about when asking, “How does parenthood affect marriage?” The last thing Bethany and I discuss is how having kids increases your need to love like Christ. Marriage is a representation of Christ and his church. How does Christ love his church? By sacrificing himself for her.

Likewise, in parenthood, your “marriage love” (sacrificial love like Christ) matures because your need for sacrificial love will increase as well.

So having kids affects your marriage a lot. But kids definitely complement marriage far more than they complicate it.