Yes... but it isn't a job. It is fun. It is silly. It is easy. Always has been and always will be, I suspect.
sometimes it's fun and silly - but I have 4 children. Between homework, social issues, psychological and physical issues for my special needs kids, routine care and medications, sicknesses . . . a lot of parenting is stressful and exhausting. On top of that is food every day, all the routine chores that come with life.
Right now our oldest who is unable to drive will be graduating and turning 18 - what will he do for a living if he can't even cope with driving? Parenting sometimes doesn't end when kids grow up.
Most of what goes into living just isn't fun.
Jobs are where you work hard and make money. You can get fired.
This is an interesting point - my husband's job required him to be on call 24/7 so he could travel the world and take care of war and peace time threats. Trust me - sometimes being fired isn't the worst that can happen.
Kids can't fire you... you can lock them in the closet, put them in front of the TV... heck, how many "working moms" have I seen at the park sitting on their phones not engaging with their children? LOTS.
$100,000 a year on child care? How rich are they? I can think of worse problems...
The potential to be unemployed is NOT the only thing that makes work hard and you know that.
If you neglect your children the entire family suffers for it. I've known parents who couldn't handle it and had their children taken away from neglect. Just because you can't get 'fired' doesn't mean it's not hard work - that's like saying me renovating the home or nursing a husband through mental illness and endless surgeries wasn't hard work because I couldn't get fired.
Some kids are great. we have 4 kids and our daughter (3rd child) is just a breeze. She was easy to potty train, follows the rules. She enjoys being a good, smart kid. And if a family had one or five kids that are just like her I'm sure life feels awesome.
Count your blessings! And recall them when life turns sour. Years ago I didn't have an injured and ailing husband, my kids weren't on medications with extreme psychological issues, and we were all happier then. Life changes. (funny enough - life changed for the worst after I stopped being a SAHM. No correlation, I don't think.)