Zale, I Disagree.
The fact of the matter is, having children completely disrupts and changes your life. There are some things you've been accustomed to doing and ways you've been acting which are either no longer possible or are extremely difficult. Sometimes that hurts.
No matter how dedicated you are to your "new mission," it's often really hard work.
Taking care of kids 24/7/365 is physically and emotionally draining, just because you're doing the right thing that doesn't mean it's easy. And in a sense it is like being in jail, being completely beholden to someone/something else, not always being able to do what you want to do.
Even if you do recognize and accept that this is now your "mission," that doesn't mean it's not going to be difficult (i.e. really hard work) and painful.
Doesn't becoming, say, a doctor change your life too? Doesn't it disrupt your life? Getting called to the ER 3am for an emergency, staying late at the office etc... Yes, "you can always quit", but can you really?
Having a hard job is hard work too. Being in the military is hard work, being a pilot is hard work, being a doctor is hard work.
True, they are not 24/7 but in reality, children are not 24/7 either. If your child is on a sleep schedule, and they sleep through the night, then the child is only 13/7. Once the child is old enough to go to daycare, they are only 5/5 (for most of the week).
Nobody, and I mean
nobody, said that it was easy to raise children. But your attitude toward it has a significant impact. If you feel that you as a person are really supposed to be free 24/7 to do what
you like to do, then I have to say that I fully understand why you feel the way you do. But if you see children as an actual accomplishment, [it will be HARD work, don't get me wrong], but your attitude won't be that you feel imprisoned.
I agree that sometimes (and for some more than others) you will need a break from your kids, just like sometimes you need a vacation from work.