Ethan,
Despite what SkyHigh might say about the profession, it IS quite possible to balance an airline lifestyle and family bliss... (you'll find that I don't agree with many of the comments SkyHigh makes on this forum). In essence, he has told you in this thread that if you want to be a happy pilot, you have to have a "false family" somebody to go home to on the days off- to do the laundry and fill the wallet... when your're gone you can live the life of the pilot. I have no clue what soured his view on flying, but there is happiness out there to be had (and still fullfill your career aspirations to fly).
It does take a bit of understanding and balancing, but I know many people who have very fulfilling aviation careers and very content relationships at home (myself included). I commend you on your decision to put family priorities first. My family will always come first, and they have been very supportive of my career, and understanding of the circumstances.
Working for the airlines (or any flight department) will mean time away from home. An airline schedule means that you are gone between 15 and 21 nights a month. You will work holidays, and miss important dates. That's part of the job agreement that you take on when you pin on the wings.
But there are ways around some of these issues, particularly as you build seniority. For my first few years, I often had to work the holidays. So I bid to overnight in a city where I had family- occassionally I would even fly my GF/fiancee/wife (depending on the year) with me positive space so we could spend the holiday together. If I couldn't get a city that had family, I bid for somewhere that I would enjoy being away (Burlington, VT for Christmas is absolutely beautiful).
Other alternatives are to work your way into a management pilot position. Work as an airline instructor or checkairman. Work as a chief pilot, fleet manager, or director of training. There are many positions within an airline that allow you to spend more time at home, yet still allow you to fly.
Finally there's the corporate gig- they have their upsides and downsides too, but if you can find a good one, you will never look back. You probably won't fly the "heavy iron" or make the huge salaries, but if you want quality of life, many corporate jobs offer a different variety.
I currently fly a Citation for a Fortune 500 company subsidiary. The company is very stable (with over 10 billion/year in revenue). I am on call 24/7, but we have very few "popup" trips... on average I have at least 48 hrs notice of upcoming trips, and work very few weekends. Salary is roughly what a CRJ captain makes at a regional, but I fly about 30 hrs a month and am home almost every night.
The downside is that I don't get travel/jumpseat privileges or fly some of the more advanced/comfortable equipment that airline have, and I don't work with such a diverse group of people (there are only two of us in the flight department)... but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I recommend that you take a look at some of the options out there. Consider going to work for the airlines for a few years to get a feel for it. Like it or not, the airlines are one of the best ways to gain valuable turbine experience and flight time in the shortest amount of time (I logged about 3700 hours in just over 4 years of line flying).
If you decide you don't like it, odds are that some of your coworkers or one of the people that you get to know through the airlines can offer some assistance in finding a job that fits what you want (either within the airline world, or outside of it).
Good luck and feel free to get in touch via PM or email if you want to discuss some additional options over the phone...
~Josh