To wonder if raising children is worth it?

OP, you are absolutely in the most exhausting phase. It will get easier as they get older for sure. Particularly once the littlest is 4. But even once the older one is 5 and the little one is 3 it will be a bit easier

Of course not. It's a mug's game.

This is why I chose not to have children, I just really couldn’t be bothered.

No one situation is the same.

The desire to have offspring is atavistic - it's hard-wired and many people do not examine in detail their reasons for wanting a family. It is how the human race survives - it is programmed to perpetuate itself.

And then the reality .........

Raising children is challenging and it is easy to ask oneself why bother.

From my point of view I simply loved raising my children, watching them develop and blossom, seeing their personalities emerge - and they are now lovely adults with whom I have warm relationships, and with their children.

But that is me - everyone is different.

I do think that, at the risk of sounding totally ancient, the pressure to do it all right when it comes to child-rearing has become pretty oppressive now. Social media fuels this pressure. We just went with the flow a bit more, recognised that good enough is good enough, and in many ways the financial pressures were less.

I'm 17 years in and it has been good, bar 1/2 years in early teens.

The early years are tiring and sometimes you get through it /life gets easier as they get older.

If you have a support system, lean on them. And if at all possible, carve out some time to look after yourself. A parent course taught me that yoi can't pour from an empty cup. 💐

i went off the rails as a teenager, I was doing all sorts sneaking into clubs, getting pissed and turning up to college lessons, doing drugs etc how my parents put up with me I haven’t got the foggiest but now Im mid 30s and we are very close and im not anything like I used to be. so yeah it does pay off most of the time.
What helped our relationship was that they didn’t judge, they let me do stupid shit and I knew they would still be there to support me when I decided I was ready to change. I will always love them for that.

That was the worst stage/ages for me so far, so exhausting. You’re not alone.
If it helps they’ve been pretty much amazing since - 12 and 14 now and secondary school /teen stage feels like I’m starting all over and it’s a learning curve!!

My DD is 24 almost 25 and I’m still waiting.

You’ll be told that it’ll get better yada yada yes but I’ve hated the job of being Mum. It’s mostly awful, relentless, boring and frustrating sprinkled with nice bits now and again.

I regret having her and I wouldn’t do it again if I had a do over.

Nobody can tell you that.
We just do our best & hope. If i screw up, i hope my DC recover from my ham-fisted attempts & that I don’t wreck their lives too much.