Thread: reproducing

I've said on here before that I think the downsides of having kids outweigh the benefits, and I am happy to be a human being able to consider, rationalise, and decide what to do in that regard rather than being an apple tree with no choice.

Does having kids REALLY make people happy, or is there some hormone that is released upon becoming a parent that subconciously makes the parent think that they are enjoying the experience so they don't abandon their kids and conclude the human race? So many friends of mine say "being a parent is the best thing ever" and yet to me they seem pretty stressed and miserable about it most of the time.