I know people with kids and they always seem like they are perpetually exhausted and barely hanging on. They talk about not sleeping and conflicts and issues and it just honestly makes it sound horrendous and really looks like they are all suffering from an outsider’s perspective. But then they tell me that it’s worth it because it’s “fulfilling” like you said. I don’t know. From an outsider’s perspective, parents’ words don’t seem to correlate with what I see and hear.

I have a feeling that when people talk about things being “fulfilling” or “worth it” despite seeming to objectively be suffering must be some combination of strange hormones with coping mechanisms.

Idk. That’s just my thoughts as a confused outsider. I’m happy that people are able to raise children. Someone has to. But I don’t think I could make myself suffer to that extreme for a being that will never truly understand what you’re doing for them until decades later.