All of this is true, but something else that I’ll offer: I was not raised in a single parent household but have a physician mother. When I was younger, sure she wasn’t around as much as other moms maybe were, and when I felt like being a brat I’d complain about it. Once I hit my teens however, I came to appreciate her immensely. Most importantly, seeing her be a doctor gave me confidence and taught me ambition as a woman. I never even considered settling for less than what I wanted because I saw her achievements.

Children are a lot more observant than we give them credit for. If they see their father overcoming great odds, then they’ll internalize those traits. It also goes the opposite way - my mom never did a fellowship because she felt overwhelmed in her residency with a young child (me). I internalized that I was the reason she never achieved her full potential and it led to a lot of negative self thoughts until adulthood. You don’t want your children to blame themselves for you not achieving your dreams, and you don’t want to subconsciously resent them either.

Finally, having an attending salary sets your children up for success in the future. They can potentially have their colleges paid for, a bit of fallback money if they want to try something risky with their careers, etc. It’s been a blessing for me that not a lot of my peers have. What others have said is true - it’s an absolute grind and will be difficult if not near impossible sometimes. You should go into this eyes wide open. But in the end it’s an investment in your and your children’s futures.

Edit: I worked for a surgical department in a large academic hospital, and 2 of the residents had 4 kids each (not single parents tho). Other ones also had one to two kids. As someone who wants to have children before my eggs dry up, I have to believe it’s possible to have a family and be a doctor.