That's been the biggest shock of parenthood to me : how mind-numbingly boring routine it is. It's an unpaid job because it's terrible work. Parenting is just a

That's been the biggest shock of parenthood to me : how mind-numbingly boring routine it is. It's an unpaid job because it's terrible work. Parenting is just a 24 hour routine of fighting entropy via an immature human. It's the ultimate in taking a long view. Most investments will have paid off (or disappeared) several times by the time the investment in a child repays. A good investment of time and money in a child can pay off well, with personal and monetary fulfilment, but you've got to keep up with the time and money for 20 years with a child. Many parents will disagree with this position, but it's rare to find one that doesn't really enjoy the time when the kids are in bed asleep.