I'm sure you are aware that "less is usually more"
Yeah, I don't know if there is a perfect answer, but more is generally not it.
We have camped all over the West with kids over the last 15 years. We have generally moved on from tent camping but here are some items that can make a big difference and some that are more in the "it depends" group.
1/ Comfy tent, which means big with plenty of room to walk upright for long stays at same campground. We have a separate, more weather-resistant tent for short, in-the-wild trips. We bought a Costco "fast setup" two-room big cabin tent with inbuilt LED lights and it was great last spring in Utah. These are big tents so it takes time to pack but at least the setup is fairly quick.
2/ Airdbeds, mummy sleeping bags, some lights.
So that about covers the indispensible. Beyond that, it all depends:
1/ Big canopy/screen house is great but only if staying for at least several days: huge, heavy, takes time to set up and take down.
2/ Cooking etc it really all depends on trip, but as said above, the more we carry, the more we search for items!
3/ We use basic camping chairs but it all depends of course on how much you stay at the campground.
4/ We have done okay with a cooler. Never had a fridge. Never had a really pricey one either but some are definitely better than others so the cheapest are indeed junky. It will be needed for long remote camping but the cost is significant (dual batteries, fridge itself). Some sort of day trip small cooler is pretty essential.
And it goes on and on, we have a small, light-weight trailer.
It really varies too much by family, personal preferences, length of stay, frequency of use, type of campground....
