Great thread that I can really relate to. I have a DW and three DS's who are now all teenagers. They don't need as much care and attention like they used to.

I have had my wife tell me numerous times how it was difficult for her to be home alone with them and that she did all the work. That's quite a guilt trip and tough to take. Sometimes it made me want to burst.

But, when they are young there's a lot to do. Cleaning, cooking, laundry don't go away, but the attention they need when they are young for a variety of things is demanding. You need to be a good husband and put in your time. That is very important.

However, in all of that you need to take care of yourself, too. That way you can appreciate everything you have. This includes biking. She needs to do this too. If she isn't and you are, that's not good. Mine doesn't, so I've experienced this. While she's thin and healthy, she just doesn't excersize and says she does enough running around that she's in shape. Right. At least now that she's older she has some friends and some activities.

Get her to buy into the fact that you need to excersize and get away on your bike to appreciate her and life in general. Explain to her that she needs to do the same.

A good example of this is the TV show on NBC called "Biggest Loser." This reality show has contestants trying to lose the most weight. It takes fat people that have just let themselves go to an extreme. That's what you are if you don't bike or excersize. You can't live that way--even if you don't gain the weight. It isn't healthy.

When I hit forty a few years back, I gained weight and my back ached. That's when I returned to cycling. I now commute to work daily and am in good shape. My weight is down 20 pounds from my peak and I'm keeping it reasonable. My back is good and I feel great. No doubt this has helped me and us significantly.

God Bless,

Dave