I love my kids but I don't believe in putting kids first. In our culture parents often feel like everything they do must be "for the kids". But what kind of example are we setting for our kids by living a stressful, unfulfilled life so that they can live a "better" life? I believe in putting my relationship with Jenny, my wife, first. If that isn't the foundation then the kids suffer. I believe that many good people are in unhappy marriages, even with spouses they love, because they are putting the kids' needs above their own. They have lost contact with friends, rarely go out and when they do they only have one topic of conversation- their kids.
I don't believe we were put on this earth just to procreate. I believe we were put here to create. That doesn't stop with our children. Really they are just a reminder of how powerful creation is!