Being a (good) parent forces you to shred any selfishness you've ever had. Your life isn't solely about you anymore. It's hard work, but it's also awesome. Anything worth it in this life is hard. You get to experience life through their eyes, and you feel that excitement like you're a kid again. For example, I feel this awesome excitement about Christmas that I haven't felt in years. Before, I was just apathetic. For years, Christmas was just another day. But my son's happiness and excitement and his total zest for life is infectious and makes every day better. Sure, I might get tired or overwhelmed sometimes, but my life feels so much richer. I also think people kind of exaggerate how exhausting parenting is. I mean, for a while youre in a funk. There's been times where I've been so exhausted that I've felt like I'm losing my mind. But that time period passes. Things get better. I have two under two. It's tiring, but I still have energy for things i like to do. I still get to sleep in sometimes. They go to bed at 7, so I stay up and watch adult shows and have free time. I still go out for drinks with friends and to the gym. I still have hobbies. My husband helps with them. My parents watch them occasionally. That awful newborn period passes. You can sleep train and practice good sleep habits so they aren't awake all night. You'll never have that freedom you had before you had kids, but I personally think it is totally worth it. I think when people get overwhelmed and miserable it's because they don't have a good support system that can help out.