Malachi 2:15
And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
The purpose of marriage is that God might seek a godly seed, and the destiny of children rests to a great extent in the mother's hands. Faithful discipline joined with a godly example may lead children to Christ, and those children will in turn exert an influence upon others by which many souls are saved. Failure in parental duty may place children in Satan's ranks and make them his agents for the ruin of other souls.
Neglect of good example, faithful instruction, and proper restraint gives to society unbalanced children who transmit their own perversity of character as an inheritance to their offspring. Those same children corrupt society and make havoc in the church, doing an injury that outweighs all other good accomplished. Parents must therefore faithfully do their duty to the extent of their ability with self-control, system, thought, and prayer, and then in faith ask the Lord to do for their children what they themselves cannot do.