I couldn't have summed it up any better.

an excerpt from Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Winding Ways Quilt"

...."I'm not saying you don't have difficult days and sleepless nights ahead of you, but you already know that. In the months ahead, you're going to hear from everyone how difficult parenting is, how you can kiss your social life good-bye, how you'll stumble through the days in a fog of sleep deprivation, how it's impossible to do everything correctly, how you'll feel plagued by guilt half of the time and want to run away the other half."
"But that's not true?" Sarah finished for her.
"Don't you wish. It's true all right, but it's not the complete truth." Diane took her by the elbow and steered her to the far end of the veranda, where they would not be overheard. "What people won't tell you, because they can't put it into words, is that children will bring you more joy that you ever suspected existed in the universe. Even when they're driving you crazy, you'll fall in love with them again and again. I've never laughed so hard or found so much beauty in simple things since becoming a mother. It's an impossible contradiction. They're frustrating and glorious. They throw your life into an uproar and they teach you contentment. You'll remember every mistake you make as a parent and yet your children will love you anyway. I'll tell you something: Nothing on this earth can compare to a spontaneous, heartfelt hug from a toddler." Tears filled Diane's eyes. "I'm so happy for you, and I envy you. You have it all ahead of you, all those years with your children at home. In a few weeks, my youngest baby is going off to college. Now I have all the time in the world to myself, and I'd trade a year of my life now for one more day of finger paints and nursery rhymes. Enjoy them while they're completely yours. Even when you think you'll collapse if you have to change one more diaper or sing one more round of 'Old McDonald'-enjoy them. The days are long, but the years are short. They pass much too quickly."