“Finally, it is through the family that they are gradually led to a companionship with their fellowmen and with the people of God. Let parents, then, recognize the inestimable importance a truly Christian family has for the life and progress of God’s own people”
Gravissimum educationis (Christian Education), Vatican II
Proverbs emphasizes that early and consistent moral and spiritual training shapes a person’s lifelong character, acting as a general principle of wisdom rather than an absolute, ironclad guarantee. This training should begin in the early years of a child’s life, laying a foundation that is likely to remain in their old age.
Proverbs 22:6 serves as a principle for parenting and suggests that foundationally teaching children to follow God makes it likely they will remain on that path throughout their lives.
Parents should not rely solely on schools or churches, but should personally teach their children through example and daily actions.
Catechism
2225
“Through the grace of the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children. Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the ‘first heralds’ for their children. They should associate them from their tenderest years with the life of the Church. A wholesome family life can foster interior dispositions that are a genuine preparation for a living faith and remain a support for it throughout one’s life.”
2226
“Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.”