I worked night shift a few years ago, did it for...3 years I think? I really enjoyed it while I did it, but as the kids came along I decided it would be better to find a different job that's 8-5 so I could see them more. To be honest though, if you think about it like you're switching your sleep and work schedules, you probably see the kids just as much in that case.
I still find myself slipping into a 3rd shift kind of lifestyle on weekends from time to time. I'll end up staying up super late till the sun comes up, but it's mostly by choice. The nice thing about working 3rd shift is there's no problems setting up appointments during the day, and doing things like grocery shopping is a breeze as the stores are mostly empty. Overall I just enjoyed working night shift because you don't have a bunch of big wigs standing over you throughout the day, it's more relaxed so you can do things you probably couldn't do during the day like listen to music or whatever. I just found I got a lot more done without the normal interruptions you get with the 8-5 crowd, and I actually had more down time to surf the web/goof off.