They enable people to respect themselves and their neighbors, thus becoming a means to personal fulfillment and happiness, which is true freedom. Human dignity is guarded and expressed through such virtues as kindness, loyalty, friendship, generosity and responsibility while the virtues of patience, understanding, justice, humility and perseverance are all manifestations of love and become the qualities that determine character and personal integrity. All of these values are generally passed on through the informal atmosphere of daily family life. Parents lead their children to value human life when they themselves value human life. They educate their children in chastity when they themselves live chastely.
Generosity is taught through generosity.
Having said that, it is important to stress here that parents need not be perfect in virtue before attempting to educate their children in them. It is only necessary that they strive to practice the virtues themselves as they go about teaching them to their children. When a child questions a parent s authority to require benignity of him if the parent also has trouble with anger, the parent can respond with sincerity and truthful humility. As long as I struggle, though, I can demand that you do the same. Children understand and can accept human frailty.