Children are a blessing! But remember the Prophet's warning..

A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “I have found a woman who is of good lineage and is beautiful, but she does not bear children. Should I marry her?” He said, “No.” Then he came again with the same question and he told him not to marry her. Then he came a third time with the same question and he said: “Marry those who are loving and fertile, for I will be proud of your great numbers before the other nations.” [Abu Dawood, saheeh]

The Prophet (pbuh) said “When a person dies, his actions come to an end, except in one of three ways: A continuing act of charity, (or sadaqah), or a useful contribution to knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.” (Muslim, An-Nassaie, Abu Dawood) “The rank of a dead person may be raised after his death. He asks; My Lord, how does this come about? He is then told: Your child has prayed for your forgiveness.” (Ibn Majah and Malik)

“Whoever has three daughters, and shelters them, bearing their joys and sorrows with patience, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) will admit him to Paradise by virtue of his compassion towards them.” A man asked, “What if he has only two, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Even if they are only two.” Another man asked, “What if he has only one, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Even if he has only one.” (Mishkaat)

These are only few of the blessings of having children. Subhanallah! But let us also remember the prophet's WARNING:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Children are the cause of grief, cowardice, ignorance and miserliness.” 

(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 24/241; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1990). 

When he said that they are the cause of miserliness, he meant that if a man wants to spend for the sake of Allaah, the Shaytaan reminds him of his children, so he thinks, “My children deserve the money, I will leave it for them when I die, so he is miserly in the sense that he refrains from spending it for the sake of Allaah. When he said that children are the cause of cowardliness, he meant that when a man wants to fight in jihaad for the sake of Allaah, the Shaytaan comes to him and says, “You will be killed and will die, and your children will become orphans, lost and alone,” so he stays home and does not go out for jihaad. When he said that children are the cause of ignorance, he meant that they distract a father from seeking knowledge and trying to acquire learning by attending gatherings and reading books. When he said that children are the cause of grief, he meant that when a child gets sick, the parent feels grief; if the child asks for something that the father cannot provide, this grieves the father; and if the child grows up and rebels against his father, this is a cause of ongoing grief and distress.

Let us take heed from this hadith and allow our children to have only a positive influence in our lives inshaAllah.