IMHO it really depends on your financial situation and on what financial goals you and your wife have set together.

If your income is unstable enough that financial ruin is a real possibility, then surely the best way to put your family first is to provide for them.

If you're more comfortable but you still have goals to reach (eg you and your wife have decided that you'll save $x this year), then the conversation shouldn't be about family vs work, it should be about reassessing your mutual goal. Either you spend more time together, or you work harder and save up more. Either way, sacrifices have to be made. Perhaps there is miscommunication between you and the wife over what your financial goals are?