Having children is our last real opportunity to slow down. That might seem contrary to the crazy roller-coaster ride that comes with being a parent, but if we change our perspective from rushing to the next stage, life can be really wonderful.

But you get that because you encourage your baby girl to try and stand and walk, no matter how many times she has stood up and fallen. You read the same story night after night to your little boy with the same level of enthusiasm and excitement. At the playground, you have pushed enough swings to qualify for an Olympic event (if there was one). And you are smart because you know all your good work will be realized.

A good lesson on this subject is the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree.

It seems that this tree when planted, watered, and nurtured for an entire growing season doesn’t outwardly grow as much as an inch. Then, after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasn’t sprouted. So it goes as the sun rises and sets for four solid years. The farmer has nothing tangible to show for all of his labor trying to grow the tree.

Then, along comes year five.

In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet in just one growing season! Or so it seems….

Did the little tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew.

The same is true for our children.

Parents, who consistently teach their children values and build strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge grow a strong internal foundation. Had the Chinese bamboo farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the tree’s growth.

Know that the work you do to raise the kind of a person you would want to meet someday, is all worth it. It just takes time.