Hang in there another couple of years. Now my youngest is 7 I find life a lot more liberating then when they were under 6. And its fun doing "older" activities with the kids. But yeah it's hard for more than "the first few months/years"!

> when I see the child free people around me, and how they're spending their 30s

On the flip side, I wonder if you might enjoy your 70's and 80's a lot more with kids (and possibly grandkids).