Focus on the Family Magazine - June/July 2023

INVESTING IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP / COUPLES
financially they were able to make the
adjustment. Even so, John’s reduced
schedule has required them to make
sacrifices, including the size of the
house they live in and the age of the
cars they drive.
To maintain a healthy marriage
during your parenting years, you may
need to sacrifice some of your visiting
time with friends and extended family,
as well as some of the activities you
enjoy. Two hours of video gaming? An
hour every night on social media? Be
deliberate about what you cut. You
can’t just welcome a baby into your
life and assume hours will magically
appear—they don’t. >>>
A QUESTION FOR PARENTS OF
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Should we sacrifice our marriage
for the sake of our child?
When you have a child with special needs, it’s easy to think you must do
everything you possibly can for that child. As parents, we’ll do anything
for our children. But sacrificing our marriage for them is the worst possible
thing we could do.
Too often, one parent will pour so much time and energy into caring for
a child with special needs that the other parent may start to feel neglected
or excluded. Making your child’s needs the center of your family never
ends well—for your marriage or your other children.
I’ve seen parents become so disconnected from each other while
caring for a child with special needs that they end up getting divorced.
That’s about the biggest spiritual blow your child could ever experience.
The best thing you and your spouse can do is to share the caregiving
challenges. Contribute what you can to your child’s welfare, but don’t
become so wrapped up in your child’s needs that you shipwreck your
marriage. Instead, as you do the best you can for your child, also focus
on cultivating a healthy marriage, loving your children equally and
leaving the rest in God’s hands. —GT
JUNE / JULY 2023 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY CANADA
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