Parenthood didn't solve anything for me except that I got the partner I wanted.
FWIW, my office is and always has been isolated from the main part of the house, if not entirely detached.
It’s good to remember kids aren’t just short adults. They are irrational, creative, come up with strange assumptions…
Also good to remember that kids don’t choose to be born, or who their parents are, or where they live.
It’s also good to learn a bit of child psychology along the way. And to truly listen.
All that stuff you mentioned- the negotiating, the crazy constant messes, getting dinner on the table… It sucks.
But it only sucks when I’m living in the imaginary world in my head, which is not reality. I can think of all sorts of things I would do if I wasn’t a parent.
In the real world, I have kids, and I make the choice to be here for them. I don’t know about anyone else here, but my Dad really sucked at being a father.