Rise and Shine

by Anna Quindlen

I had a little sign I put up during parenting classes: PARENTS ARE THE BEDROCK ON WHICH A CHILD BUILDS HIS HOUSE. I also had one that said “God couldn’t be everywhere so he created mothers,” and “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.” They all felt like treacly clichés, and they were all true. The