Things they didn't tell me about parenthood...

...or perhaps things I wouldn't have been able to understand before now:

• How selfish I am
• How much I can hurt
• How much I can love
• How much I can worry
• How angry I can get
• How sad I can feel
• How much guilt I can carry
• How proud I can be
• How tired I can get (both emotionally, mentally, and physically)
• How happy I am
• How introspective I find myself
• How old I can feel
• How much de ja vu I have when I help with homework
• How confused I can be
• How scared I can get
• How overprotective and unreasonable I can become
• How much I miss my babies
• How much I enjoy my pre-teenager (ok, maybe when he's not moody)
• How much laughter we'd share
• How much crying we'd soothe
• How many doctors we'd visit
• How many boo-boo's we'd kiss
• How many dreams we see fulfilled
• How many dreams we'd have to let go of
• How material objects are not so important anymore
• How dirty my house can get
• How bad of a housewife I am (definitely not mrs. clean!)
• How many swim meets, soccer games, spring concerts, talent shows I'd attend
• How I'd forget their first words, and first steps
• How I'd cry when I packed up their baby things and gave them away
• How excited I'd be to move into the next phase of life
• How exasperated by teachers I'd become
• How grateful to strangers who helped me when I needed it
• How much I'd come to respect my husband as a father (he's so much better at this parent thing than me!)
• How much I'd enjoy a field trip to the orchard through my child's eyes
• How many episodes of Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Spongebob, H2O, Drake and Josh, Mythbusters, and Survivorman I'd see
• How I could sing all the words to every kid show on the planet by memory
• How many songs on the radio are inappropriate for little ears!
• How many sleepless nights (even well after infancy) I'd endure
• How gross losing that first tooth is
• How much fun to relive childhood through your kids
• How enjoyable, yet wistful, watching your children grow too fast

There's a lot more...and I'm sure more to add to the list as the years go on.