Do the cons of having kids outweigh the pros?

[LucyTosca]

As mums, can you think of any more pros to having kids?

The cons seem to well outweigh the pros in my list below.

Advantages of not having kids:

1. Free time
2. Spontaneity
3. Time to myself
4. Time to do my art
5. Time to read
6. Time to listen to a play or a podcast
7. Getting enough sleep
8. Coming to work everyday
9. Not having to have a boring routine

10. Money to spend as I please 11. Saving money 12. Holidays with Paul or friends 13. Can stay out as late as I want 14. Not having to find babysitters 15. Far less stressed 16. Peace and quiet 17. Having a healthy relationship making time and giving love to each other 18. Sit in coffee shops updating my blog 19. Having a varied and regular blog 20. Going to gigs 21. Having time for pets 22. Time to practice yoga 23. Going on big walks 24. Going out for dinner regularly 25. Being in the moment without being distracted all the time 26. Not passing down depression or anxiety 27. Not worrying about your children 28. Not having backchat or ungratefulness towards you 29. No dramas 30. No fear of mentally damaging your children

Disadvantages of not having kids:

1. Being amazed at having created your own human being
2. Being a family unit
3. Having someone to care for you in later life
4. Watching your child grow
5. To love and be loved unconditionally
6. Going to sleep knowing that you have lived your day to the full, even if that full is tedious!
7. Being present and entertained

I'm sure having kids makes life more varied and interesting, not less.
And it's more than being amazed at them. It's creating people to share your life with, which is what life's about for me.
I have enjoyed having a good excuse not to go to work though, and being more spontaneous with my days and my kids.
Paul sounds ace though. Is he keen for kids?

Thank you all for your feedback. It's cleared up a few points for me and made me realise that having children isn't something you can measure with a list of pros and cons. It's clear that having children isn't something on my radar and people either want them or they don't!

It's clear that having children isn't something on my radar and people either want them or they don't!

That comes up on here all the time ('Oh, you should only have children if it's a burning, unquenchable desire, and any ambivalence means you're not cut out for parenthood!'), but I genuinely don't think it's true.

I know quite a few women who agonised over the decision to have a child, and were strongly aware of what they were giving up to do so, and they are no less committed and loving mothers than the women who always knew that having children was THE life goal. I don't think thinking through the costs means you are in any way likely to be a less good mother, if that is what you ultimately decide to do.

I agonised over whether or not to have a child, but decided to go for it in the end. I have no regrets, and I adore my son, but I am also aware of the equally good life I would have had if I had remained childfree.

I would also say, OP as you mention art that something I and many female friends with children have found is that having a child can make you more productive. When you have less and more strictly defined times in which to produce work or when you're working to the timetable of paid childcare it can make you very focused.