While reading through the excellent Disciple Making Parent by Chap Bettis, I came across this helpful diagram that illustrates how parenting children is preparing them for their future life and relationships. Chap’s explanation is below.
This image helps us understand how young children learn to relate to God by relating to us. When they are young, they are developing habits of relating to authority, their friends, and their toys. When they are older, those habits will influence how they interact with authorities, future friends, church members, and their spouses. (page 66)
For more on The Disciple-Making Parent, see here.