Fathers Must Always Lead

"Because the husband is the head of the wife, he finds himself in a position of inescapable leadership.  He cannot successfully refuse to lead.  If he attempts to abdicate in some way, he may, through his rebellion, lead poorly.  But no matter what he does, or where he goes, he does so as the head of is wife.  This is how God designed marriage.  He has created us as male and female in such a way as to ensure that men will always be dominant in marriage.  If the husband is godly, then that dominance will not be harsh; it will be characterized by the same self-sacrificial love demonstrated by our Lord – Dominus – at the cross.  If a husband tries to run away from his headship, that abdication will dominate the home.  If he catches a plane to the other side of the country, and stays there, he will dominate in and by his absence.  How many children have grown up in a home dominated by the empty chair at the table?  If the marriage is one in which the wife “wears the pants,” the wimpiness of the husband is the most obvious thing about the marriage, creating a miserable marriage and home.  His abdication dominates." – Doug Wilson, Reforming Marriage