Keith Urban makes bold statement about loving wife more than kids

Keith Urban photo courtesy Australian Women's Weekly

This will probably come as a shock to many people, but Keith Urban recently stated that he loves his wife, Nicole Kidman, more than his two daughters. 

Let that sink in for a minute. 

Back a few years ago I remember a story went around that really seemed to anger people for reasons I couldn't quite understand.  This lady wrote a story for the New York Times about love, sex, and having kids.  In the story, the writer, Ayelet Waldman, had made the statement that she loved her husband more than her kids. Those were apparently fighting words because much of the western world became disgusted and didn't understand how a mother could make such a statement. 

I personally completely understood what she was saying and didn't think there was anything wrong with her feelings, but I was one of the few it seemed. The writer had stated that she wasn't in love with her kids but was with her husband. She loved them all but in different ways.  It seemed a rational, normal thought to me, but boy was the world of mommies outraged.  

It was amusing. I think the writer may have even gotten an Oprah appearance out of it, although I can't be sure.

Now it will be interesting to see if the world has changed at all in the last seven years because Keith Urban recently made a very similar statement to Australian Women's Weekly about how he loves his wife more than his cutie-pie daughters Faith and Sunday.  

"We're very, very tight as a family unit and the children are our life, but I know the order of my love," the country music star tells the April issue The Australian Women's Weekly. "It's my wife and then my daughters. I just think it's really important for the kids."

"There are too many parents who start to lose the plot a little and start to give all their love to the kids, and then the partner starts to go without. And then everybody loses. As a kid, all I needed to know was that my parents were solid. Kids shouldn't feel like they are being favoured. It's a dangerous place."

So do you think this will this turn into a sexist thing where people will be more accepting of the fact that a man admits that his wife comes first in his love line or do you think people will be just as outraged by this statement as they were by the admission of the writer in 2005?  

It'll be interesting to see.  

Just for the record, I still completely understand where this sentiment comes from and think children whose parents are still devoted to each other even after children invade their lives are lucky little people. 

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Comments

[Justin]

I must say first that we all know this guy puts on a concert like no other. But dude...get your balls back and quit being so whooped. It's not a good look. Got it, you love her. Just keep playing that guitar...and well just shut the fuck up from now on about the damn order of your love!

[Pat Green]

Keith has finally found true love and happiness, he loves his girls, this teaches his children, the order of love. I'm so proud of Keith. If wasn't for her or any mother, children would not be here.

[Eileen]

There is nothing sexist about Keith's statement and it makes perfect sense but it's the articles author who is at fault here for trying to take his words and use them out of context. He is just trying to say that he put's his marriage first and by doing so the whole family benefits especially the kids.
Shame on the author for trying to take his beautiful sentiment and make them something of controversy

[Starla Gentry Longest]

I have always thought the greatest thing any man can do for his children is love their mother...Keith Urban does this and is not ashamed of it.. GO Keith, I wish there were more men in the world like you. Real men who love honestly and completely without reservation. Because of this Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret are 2 of the luckiest little girls in the world. Shame on anyone who tries to twist his words....

[jae]

I believe he's talking more about the priority of his relationships. And I totally agree with him. Your spouse should come first as the natural order of how things should be. Putting your children ahead of your spouse will lead to problems in your relationship.

[Max]

Shannon, I hope that people will see it for what it is - a love for his family, period. If the beautiful relationship that Keith shares with Nicole was anything other than that love he has described, that family would not shine quite so brightly. As it is, when you look at pictures of them all together, the love they all have for each other just flows from the page. I think that the author of the article should have used a different heading, and then this probably would not be discussed as much as it is.

[Seanna]

I 100% agree with him. However, I would disagree somewhat with the title of this article saying that he loves his wife "more" than his kids - he doesn't necessarily say that, he says that there's an order in a family that's important to follow: wife first, then kids. I'm sure he wouldn't say his love for Nicole is more than it is for his kids but that the priorities for the relationships are different. Just my thoughts, either way, thanks for sharing this!

[Ashley]

I understand what he's trying to say too. It's similar to something my dad told me once when I was young that bothered me. It's not necessarily about having a stronger love for one than the other. It's about making your marriage the priority, because growing up in a home with a stable, happy, loving marriage IS what's best for the children. Just not a big fan of the way he (or my dad) phrased it, "the order of love".

I just know when I was a kid, my mind twisted his words into "I love you less than someone else." And I know wasn't true. But again, the phrasing...
(And as an unrelated side note: my parents are now divorced)

[lorendasue]

If there is not a solid relationship between the parents, then the children do not learn how to have a solid relationship with anyone. And a relationship that is put on the "back burner" in favor of children will likely be difficult to keep on the stove at all when the children are no longer there.