I know my friends with kids are enjoying and focusing on something important and rewarding, but as easy as it is to know that, it still stings a little to learn that their kid is *always* going to be more "important and rewarding" than I am.

I'd like to think this is a misconception. There are all kinds of things I do that are rewarding, and I don't want to give those up. If I stop being a traveller / poker player / singer / stage techie just to be a dad, then that'd be a travesty and I'd sure hope my friends would do their part to whip me back into shape. :)

I end up feeling like I lose my friends, as their focus moves away from me and the things we do together, and toward things that I can't really share.

I think each parent has to decide what his or her parenting style is going to be and what priority the kid takes. It's sad to think that I might lose friends just because I may have less time for them than I used to. That said, I have friends who are parents who have done a good job of putting their parenthood to one side and basically saying, "hey, I've got kids if you want to do kid stuff with us, but otherwise let's keep meeting up in Vegas or for spring training once a year and that's cool too." It can be done. It just takes work.