Not so long ago, a student of mine wanted a little help on a paper. She opened her laptop and together we had a look. At the end of the first paragraph, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Many teenagers today,” she’d written, “take their parents for granite.” And how lucky those teenagers are, I sat there thinking.

So writes David McCullough, Jr. a seasoned high school teacher of two decades.  After years of witnessing “superb and not-so-superb parents and every genus of tiger, helicopter, and snowplow” parenting; he came to an important conclusion.
“Inevitably, it comes back to this: Good parents are taken for granite, the bedrock on which sturdy young lives are built.”                                                                                        
In case you don’t remember, granite is an igneous rock. It is formed under fire in the center of the earth, a melting, molten mass of magma or lava that cools and solidifies. It is hard, it is tough, and it is impervious to the weather. Granite stands the test of time; which is why so many of us have it on our countertops!
Granite is a lot like your fierce attachment to your child.
It is formed in the fire of childbirth or adoption. It solidifies in everyday life experiences and forms a foundation on which your child can build their life. It is strong and it is firm. It is something they can count on and come back to. It is impervious to anyone or anything that would come between you and your child. It stands the test of time.
What is that foundation? Is it love? Is it care? Is it safety? Is it structure and boundaries and limits and freedom? Yes. It is all those things. And it begins from day one, when you bring your child into your home.
McCullough summarizes it this way: “What… kids… want from their parents, what they need, is a simple but bulletproof belief in them, a sense of perspective, encouragement, reliable wisdom, and principles on which to build. Bedrock.”                                                                                                                                                 
Why is this so important and encouraging to parents of preschoolers?
Because it gives eternal value to everything you do to care for your child. Every cuddle, every up-in-the night soothing, and every boundary that keeps your child safe builds a foundation of trust and security and love that is dependable and strong. Is there a better foundation from which to explore the world?

We’ve all seen what happens to buildings with shaky foundations. During a hurricane, they are swept out to sea. It reminds me of the Bible story where the foolish man builds his house on the sand – a very poor foundation indeed. When the storms come, “the house on the sand falls flat!” The wise (mom, dad, and parent) however builds their house upon the rock, and the house stands firm no matter what assails it.
Our children need a bedrock under their lives as they grow and change. They need to know that your home will be a haven for them in the years to come. As a parent of a baby, toddler, or preschooler, you have the awesome task of laying the first of many layers of a foundation that will serve them well for the rest of their lives!