Does anyone have a positive experience being a caregiver?

Yes: as a paid employee. Shown respect, professional boundaries, pay & set shift times.

No: for family it was thick F.O.G. Mission creep +++ & wishy/washy boundaries. Assumptions I had endlessly deep pockets, endless time, that I would drop everything else & be on call 24/7.

Yeah, I do.
At first I was at a loss and frustrated.
Within 6 months I applied a professional approach in my home. I realized my limits, both trained and just my willingness and then hired part time, trained help.
I've done, with help, pretty well to keep my old mom happy, clean, safe and active enough to be ambulatory.
So yeah I can say it's a positive experience.....so much so that I can say that it's now mostly pleasant.

I cared for my husband for a little over 24 yrs. after he had a massive stroke. The care at first was pretty intense, as he had to learn how to walk, talk, and learn new ways of doing things with his only good arm. Eventually his care became minimal, as he became more confident in trying to do things for himself. Over the years as his health continued to get worse, he required more and more of my care, and eventually I was here with him 24/7, as he became bedridden, where he spent the last 22 months of his life. We certainly had our challenges, and it wasn't what either of us would have chosen for our lives,(given a choice) but we tried our hardest to make the best of it. We had some sweet, sweet moments amidst some really hard times, and those memories I will treasure forever. He's been gone for 4 months now, and I have to say, that now if I was given a choice to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat, because he was worth it.

Caregiving does not have to be all life consuming for the caregiver (so they say). Some caregivers, however, really do feel fulfillment in caring for their LO or client. There's a website called PHI national (phinational.org) that states the heart of quality care is the committed relationships between direct care workers and their clients. What I like about the site are the personal testimonials of direct care workers, some of whom have been on the job for 30+ years. It's mostly about paid caregivers but I've found it of interest for the family caregiver also.

I enjoyed being with my mom when she was alive. She had a professional caregiver to help her when she was sick.
I also helped with some things, like making meals. It was a pleasure to be with her.

Dad is more difficult

Absolutely.

But it was 'boring' and nothing to talk about, really. I learned a lot and came to love my client and grieved so when she died. She was a feisty, funny lady right to the end.

My husband and I first had his grandmother for a year, his parents for a couple of years. In the last year my mom and dad periodically. None were a problem. All had adequate funds to hire extra help when needed. Our house is large and we had a senior bathroom installed. They were all in our home, but we did not do physical hands-on care.