B"H
At the conclusion of the book of Bereishis Ramban writes a summation: Thus ends the book that describes the novelty of creation and the stories of the patriarchs. Why are we told the story of the patriarchs? Because their stories are a signal of what is to come for their descendants. (Paraphrased)
The pattern among the patriarchs was; they faced a challenge and emerged successful. If their pattern is an indication of what is meant to happen for us, we can be confidant that no matter how daunting our challenges appear to be, we will emerge successful.
On a homelitical level: the phrase "the deeds of the parents are a signal to the children" can be read to mean that it is the actions of each parent that make known to each child how valuable a human being that child is. We can tell our children that we love them, but that is not the true signal. "The deeds of the parents are the signal to the children."
Blessings.