What would you want other people to know?

The other day somebody posted on Cafemom that she is going to give a class presentation on Down Syndrome and wanted to know what moms would like her college class to know about their parenting experience. A couple of moms really wanted people to know how hard it is. This just reinforces to me that our kids are more alike than different, and as Jennifer Sanchez said yesterday, moms of kids with Down Syndrome are more like other moms than they are different! Some of our kids are going to be more challenging, just like some of everybody's kids. Some of our moms are going to be more stressed, just like some of all moms.
My thought on this were that I'd want the class to know that there are some challenges, especially health challenges (heart surgery, for example, was no fun), but that overall, for me, parenting a child with Down Syndrome is NOT as hard or as bad or scary as one might think. I'd want people to know that I experience the same joys other parents do when my child says "mama" and offers me his cheek to kiss, maybe even a little extra joy since it took longer to get to that moment. I take a lot of pride in his accomplishments. I have fun with him. We sing, we go to the park, we snuggle. We snuggle a lot. I wish he slept better at night, but I don't think I am alone in this in the parenting world. There are times when Nathan seems "different" or when I am reminded of differences and challenges, and these moments can be difficult. But on balance, the joys are greater, more frequent, and carry so much more weight for me than the challenges.
My DS family, please post comments and add what YOU would want others to know about parenting a child with Down Syndrome. I think our experiences are all different, because our kids (and we) are all different!