Is your child your Status Symbol?

Mitch and Gayle were in a dying, if not dead, marriage.  They had already split when they came in to talk to the counselor.  Working session after session, the counselor struggled with finding the root of their issues, until he asked to look at their calendars.  Mitch and Gayle revealed that each morning before school, Mitch took their 13 year old to French lessons and then went to work for 9 hours at a CPA firm.  After work, he grabbed the daughter, drove 40 minutes to private dance lessons, spent 2 hours there, and drove home.  The money for French and dance was tapping their bank accounts and the time apart was tapping their marriage.  Most important to them was the success of their child.  Does this true story sound familiar?  Have we let our child become our status symbol.  My child goes to (fill in the school)... Little Pete is on (insert championship team) and (insert other sport) and...  Does scripture support this model?  Does this sound like God first, Marriage Second and Children third?  What did God say to Eli in 1 Samuel 2:29?  Does the status symbol child bring glory to God?  Does it create Godly marriages?  How can the church help families get back to a God centered hierarchy?  Stay tuned....