I suspect that answer will be different for everyone. Some will have had them as an accident, some will have had them to "save the marriage", some will have had

I suspect that answer will be different for everyone. Some will have had them as an accident, some will have had them to "save the marriage", some will have had them to bring companionship into their lives, some will have them out of religious duty, some will have them for the tax breaks. Conversely, some will choose not to have them for various reasons (psychological, physical, etc.). All are equally valid on both sides of the equation. For me, it was never a matter of if, but when ... as a human, reproducing is what we do. So when things lined up, I decided to pull the trigger (so to speak).