Being childfree while loving children

I'm (31M) new to this community and have just spent hours reading the top posts and things. It's been great. I've never fully considered being childfree, but I can already feel it reduce so much of my anxiety around the future of dating, finances, lifestyle, etc., in my life.

I've noticed in many of the top posts that some posters don't like children. FWIW, I totally get that. But I have never been that way. I love children. Even when I was a kid, I was great with younger kids. I was the only one of my male friends who babysat for neighbors — never literal babies though, because they have always freaked me out.

I went home to my parents' place for a week during Thanksgiving and my older sister was there with her two children, who are about 2 and 4 years old. We had an absolute blast, though there were plenty of moments where the kids were, at best, an inconvenience. Still, I left feeling like I understood how great it would be to have kids.

Then, I went home for Christmas, which my sister/nephews spent with her in-laws in a different state. It was THE BEST Christmas, and suddenly I realized how much of the fun we had came from not having the nephews around.

It was in that moment that I realized that, as much as I love being around my sister's children, I also love not being around them. And you don't get that option with your own kids. I expressed something like that to my parents and (other) sister, and they didn't seem to agree with me.

I suppose I'm something of a fence-sitter at the moment, but one who has no desire to have kids any time soon, has felt like that my entire life, and struggles to see any future where I suddenly decide I actually want kids (as opposed to occasionally enjoying the idea of having a well-behaved, easy child).

I'm curious about the perspectives of those of you have chosen to be childfree but also love children. What was it that allowed you to settle firmly on the side of not wanting kids?