Goodly parents teach their children concerning the goodness of God and the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Nephi conveys to his readers his gratitude for parental instruction and guidance within the family circle. It is a reminder of the solemn duty of parents to love and instruct their children.
In accordance with the pattern of heaven, parents have the fundamental mission of teaching their children the truths of salvation. The Lord himself gave this solemn instruction to Adam and Eve, who in turn made all things known unto their children, including the plan of redemption (see Moses 5:5–12). In our day the Lord has commanded anew that parents should teach their children righteousness: “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized… . And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (D&C 68:25–26, 28). “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” provides the most recent prophetic and apostolic articulation of this commandment.