I have a Ph.D., and I am also a Professor.
First, Robert the Red's commentary is right on the money.
I have students come to me all the time who want to earn a Ph.D. The first thing I ask is "why?" The second thing I ask is "what will you hope to do afterwards?" The typical answer is something like "well, I've always wanted one," or "my father has a Ph.D.," and it trails off from there.
There are only two good reasons for going for a Ph.D. The first and most important is that you have a burning, unquenchable desire to learn everything there is to know about some topic. Not because you think it would be “rewarding,” but because you are completely driven. The second is that you wish to enter a profession (due to the first reason!) that requires a Ph.D. The latter, for most people, means that you wish to join a research University. Almost all other reasons are for the sake of vanity.
It is noble to wish to explore ideas and questions, and so you are approaching an adequate reason for wishing a Ph.D. However, if you came to my office and told me what you included in your post, I would gently suggest that you are not a good candidate for a Ph.D.
Since you are not in my office, and I feel you may be making a mistake, let me offer some fairly brutal comments and advice. I would invite you to consider that:
* You may not wind up studying the ideas an questions that you are actually interested in. You could easily wind up working with an advisor that has entirely different things in mind. He or she, not you, would likely set the agenda. You would feel pressure to consent or else spend a few years in the wilderness before giving up.
* You would come close to abandoning your family for 4-6 years.
* You and your family would suffer chronic penury during that time.
* You, like so many before you, may well suffer years of intense fear, loathing and every other negative emotion ever felt by man.
* You could spend a few years of wasted time before failing your preliminary exam and being ejected, or your qualifying exam, or your defense, or just plain having your advisor give up on you, etc.
Also, do you really want to move your family and subject them to all this so you can pursue your own rather vague sounding dream? You should think very carefully about whether this is an escape fantasy of yours or whether you - and your family - are fully committed to 4-6 years of toil, poverty, humiliation and potential failure.
Finally, publishing is a necessity. We at least hope that Ph.D. students are able to write reasonably well. Well, can you, punk?
My advice? Don’t try it! But best of luck if you do.