Dad of 8 here. It makes life so sweet when we acknowledge the child's capacities. Notice it didn't take that much patience...it's almost just a matter of creatively overcoming a language barrier.
A good friend of mine was the grandson of a couple that ran a school for gifted children. When they retired, there was a video produced about their careers and, at one point, they were both asked what they liked best about their jobs. His grandfather answered, "Getting to speak to the children every day." His grandmother answered, "Getting to listen to the children every day. I always liked her answer better than his.
Because if it's the former, I'm impressed you have even one second to be on HN!
Which sounds totally plausible and correct, 'cept it'll take you awhile to get up to that sort of economy of scale :P
Did you know older siblings don't even get paid for the work they do?
The transition from zero to one is of course world-changing. But at one child, 100% of the connections in the sociogram connect to a given parent: zero economy of scale.
At two children they have each other, but that is only 1/3 of the children's connections when one parent is present.
At three, we're up to 50% of the connections that are child-to-child. At this point the sociogram is rich enough to become interesting.
Four => 60%. Eight => 77.8%.
But the family is poor enough to become boring!
(I can't resist a good pun.)
Anyway, kids aren't raised in isolation with their parents. Our two year old tot already has two kids that I would consider her friends; she mentions them when she's home, and she prefers spending time with them to spending time with other kids.
Yours is not the only worldview.
And with birth rates plunging worldwide, many now trending below sustainable levels, who will provide you with healthcare and other services in old age?
Maybe we need to look at our priorities.