1.  I am not nearly as patient as I thought I was, but I am also more empathetic than I thought as well.
2.  "Kind words" can be hard, even as an adult.
3.  Discipline is often much harder on the parents.
4.  You are your child's only true advocate.  No one, no matter their education, knows your child like you do. 
5.  The medical community only gives you researched guesses.
6.  Having a tidy house all the time is nearly impossible and quite stressful.  (This is hard one for me because a messy house puts me in a bad mood.)
7.  Nothing is more refreshing than a spring day at the park or zoo.
8.  Children can smell ice cream from two rooms over.
9.  The world is filled with so many wonders, many I have failed to see or have forgotten as I grew older.
10.  Children demand you be able to explain your faith, so you better know why you believe what you believe because you will have to articulate that in some form almost daily.
11.  Being a parent is the hardest "job" I have ever had, but it is much easier when I don't think of it as a job.
12.  Showing what you truly value can be difficult in a world that gives you so many ways to praise the wrong things.

I know that this list will continue to grow as I learn more (and make more mistakes).  I pray every day that God will give me the wisdom He knows I don't have!  I am encouraged by this verse:

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Ok, you're turn... what has parenting taught you?