Passion & Commitment V.S...Children?

I think Reed and Stacy got married in 1993, after she graduated with a masters in theater from Indiana U. Reed was passionate about music performance (he plays keyboard) and he and Stacy wanted to really use their skills and talents and be established in their fields before thinking about a family. Good, clear thinking for a young, newly married couple. Theater folk and musicians are not known for keeping regular hours and both were gone a lot over the first few years. Stacy got into children's theater and worked with the school system from Fall to Spring and did theater camps all summer. Reed worked on a Great Lakes cruise ship all Summer in the evenings and recorded and played for a number of bands (including his own) during the day in the off season. He even traveled to Nashville and has played for rather well-known stars. Well, here we are 11 years later and no kids in sight for Reed and Stacy. If they're both happy and content with this then more power to 'em. Raising a family and having consuming outside passions don't mix.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a person can't be passionate about something and be a good parent. I am saying that other passions need to be second (or really third,) behind one's passion for spouse and kids. Although there are times when it seems interminable, parenting your kids is temporary. Very temporary. They go through phases of development quickly and there are certain passages of life, with their accompanying windows of opportunity for a parent, that are fleeting. Parents need to be vigilant and know these phases and passages. People like T. Barry Brazelton and James Dobson and others have made it easy for us to learn how to navigate through the rough spots and recognize potential problems. Why do so many people assume that parenting comes naturally? If someone is passionate about film making, would they truly believe that all it took to make a great film is to pick up a camera? Would they not want to study manuals and the works of successful people in the field? So where is parenting different??

Personally, I believe it is either a secret pride or lack of passion for what God has given us (or both,) that makes us miserable. Repentance and the submission of our passions to God will bring the peace and the fulfillment we long for. If He has given us talents and a desire to use them then surely He will allow us to follow it fully at the appropriate time.