Even when my children were utterly helpless, they were so precious and valuable. As each baby grew and personality began to show through — and I began to get more sleep — I started to think I could do it again. Each subsequent child was not as hard on me during the newborn stage simply because I knew the ropes, having been through it before.

I cannot deny that parenting has come at a cost. My husband and I have worked hard and sacrificed to make ends meet. We drive old cars, have home projects we won’t get to any time soon, and do without some luxuries other people consider necessities. We have less free time than a childless couple. With six people living in our house, we also have a lot of messes.

For our family, that’s okay. We’re too busy laughing and learning and loving to feel like we’re missing out. When I look at all the best things in my life, every single one has come at a high cost. I didn’t know how expensive children are, what toll pregnancy would take on my body, or how tired I’d be. I couldn’t look into the future to see what types of challenges and heartaches we’ll face.