How should the husband relate to his family and friends?

Question:

How should the husband be divided between the family as the first priority and occasional encounters with “the guys for a beer”, so that it sometimes provokes discussions with wife? She believes that in this way the husband must choose between family and friends, either one or the other, not both.

The husband has the responsibility not only to fulfill the material needs of his family, but to insist on building and maintaining beautiful relationships. Here’s what God commanded in the Old Testament:

When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken. (Deuteronomy 24:5)(NASB)

God insists on building relationships between spouses and these are prior to any other tasks. Therefore, any man should understand this and spend time with his wife and children to build relationships, especially in this hurried age when we are caught up with so many responsibilities and have so little time left to spend it in the family.

I remember about a schoolmate who was married and spent his time with his friends who were still not married and even when his wife was in hospital with the children he visited them occasionally. Their family was ruined very quickly.

I also remember how in my village men gathered in the morning and sometimes they began to drink and wives continually came to call them home to do their responsibilities. All those families were also ruined.

It is not good when a man finds more pleasure to spend time and communicate more with others than with his wife and children. It is this that most disturbs the wife and it would not disturb a man less if his wife would find more pleasure in spending time with her friends than with him.

Translated by Felicia Rotaru