I think you need to look deeper into this conversation. Not just what was spoken, but what was left unsaid, and what motivated it.
There is a balance in family life, and conversations like this don't come up out of thin air. You asked about "right/wrong" when I think it's all about balance.
First, the disclaimer: I am a BS who, by virtue of poor coping skills and FOO issues came away at the end of my marriage feeling neglected, disrespected, and mistreated. This colors what I'm going to say.
The subtext I'm hearing here is that your DH believes the family dynamic has shifted to the point where he is feeling less valued (as a husband) than he needs to feel. If this is so, he needs to learn how to deal with those feelings.
As far as the whole "best interests of the kids" thing goes, I think it can be misapplied. You need to take care of the kids. You need to train and educate them, feed them, nurture them. Love them. Then let them go. Maybe even push them.
If you do it to the total exclusion of your marriage, well, that's not really a marriage. Your spouse is no longer a romantic partner. Just a coworker in the child-raising.
If you look at every moment spent with your children as a burden, something taken away from your marriage rather than a fleeting pleasure, then you aren't really nurturing them. At best, you're tolerating them; at worst, resenting them.
You are not your parents. Nor your grandparents. They made their decisions based on the information and coping skills they had at the time.
Does putting the kids first really have to mean putting your marriage last? Or should you do your best to nurture both, and nurture yourself, too?
Balance is hard. He has needs, She has needs, and the kids always, always have needs. There's only so much time and money to apportion, so much stress to handle, so many brain cells to dedicate to decisions.
What message do you want the kids to internalize when they grow up?
This issue hits close to home for me. I was as good a Dad as I knew how to be, and spent 25 years being a father/husband. In that order. Actually, it was probably father/breadwinner/driver/scout dad/roadie/choreman/husband. I fit in somewhere behind the dogs. As a result, I built resentments and spent a lot of my focus on how I would finally get to be in a committed marriage after the empty nest arrived.
That did not end well, but this is Off Topic, and further explanation is against the guidelines. Look for a post tomorrow in D/S. It will mention atom bombs and historical events about a former president.
I have never experienced MC, but based on my IC I think this is the sort of issue that can be explored with a dispassionate third party. Communication and agreement are key here, and if you attempt to handle this yourself, there is more room for misunderstanding.
(Edited to remove a politician's name.)
[This message edited by TrustedHer at 1:21 PM, August 9th (Friday)]