YES, YES, YES. But don't run away! My husband's ex-wife did that, abandoned her family, and she missed out. Her loss is my gain. = )
Here's one tip (which only works if you have some support from others)---separate them. In other words, divide and conquer. If they are all together, you are outnumbered. Let the older kids play outside, while the younger ones are eating or bathing. Take one to the grocery store, while one is napping, and the others is with grandma or dad.
It has gotten easier this year, as the youngest is almost 9. They are all much more independent now. Honestly, my first 2 years as a full-time step-mom were more bad than good. I have many years education/experience/training in Child Development and Behavior Modification, and I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was doing the right stuff---but it was still SO hard, because my boys are all SO stubborn! For example, none of them like doing schoolwork, and the younger ones *literally* used to cry and whine for TWO HOURS, over just 15 minutes of homework!! EVERY single DAY! Thank goodness that ended, finally, and now they do it on their own.
It is my opinion that there are many mothers who either lie, or speak only positive statements deliberately, for fear of being judged by other mothers. I have heard so many moms go on and on, about how motherhood is so sweet and magical, and only a few who are really honest and say it is difficult almost to the point of misery sometimes.
One such honest mother is a kinder teacher, who doesn't want to be a stay at home mom because teaching a room full of kinders is easier than staying home with her own kids! And she is afraid to tell most people that because they always portray their kids as "perfect". But she also says that she knows some kids are just easier, and some are harder.
My husband says that once you have 3 kids, it gets exponentially harder, because they start to form alliances ( like 2 playing together and one kid excluded and feeling upset!)
I got to a point, when the boys were younger, when I didn't even recognize myself...I changed, as a result of being filled with exhaustion, adrenaline, frustration, resentment,etc., all the time, for so long.
I think living with kids can be a lot like living with wild animals---and how appealing does that sound? Bill Cosby has an old routine in which he explains that children are "brain damaged people"---and if you think of them that way, you might find you give up the arguments, realizing that they simply cannot understand your point, and won't understand it for years.
Just try to teach them the basics---be clean, be healthy, be honest, be kind, have some self control, follow rules...that's all you can do. And it takes years for them to get it.
But the best part of parenthood to me, is watching them grow up, seeing how they turn out, seeing the results of all your hard work...and you miss that if you run away.
I am so proud of my boys now, and of myself--- for everything I went through to make them into good people.
My home, once filled with so much conflict, is now filled with happiness. It was worth it. = )