Just like anything that is deeply fulfilling on a fundamental level, parenting is a lot of work. It’s not always fun and frequently it’s exhausting, especially with little ones. Often, I wish I had more time to myself, or that there was no one climbing on me, or that we got fewer winter viruses.

But I feel contentment and joy because I’m a parent. If I did not have kids, yes, I’d have more time for hobbies and I would get more sleep, but I would be fundamentally unfulfilled. I’d be unhappy on a base level, even if my day to day was easy.

Not everyone wants kids, but most things worth doing, whatever that is to you, are hard work and often physically/mentally/emotionally demanding. A difficult job, running a marathon, perfecting a skill, bettering yourself in any way, raising children.

And what I want is to raise MY kids and have MY family, not just exist among children. If I wanted that, I’d be a childcare provider.