It is through giving oneself sincerely to another that one comes to see oneself in that person. When Adam said, Bone of my bone . . . I have an equal to whom I may give myself. One pours oneself into another and then sees themselves in that person. Understanding involves the gift of some knowledge of ourselves to another and the reception of the gift of some knowledge of the beloved.
Marriage is a mutual complete giving and receiving of persons.
The family reflects this in the appropriate sharing of family members. Within the family one learns to make the sincere gift of self. Children gain most of their understanding of this from their parents and their marriage. Parents set the tone and nature of gift by the way they treat each other as marital partners and what they pass on to their children. The marriage itself is the primary means of educating children because they pick up so much that is not spoken.