Teaching Correct Principles

Joseph Smith once said “Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.” I had heard this statement many times pondered about it when some of my children were making choices that I didn’t like.  I felt like I had taught them to do good and be good yet they were still making unwise choices and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.  Maybe I hadn’t set a good enough example or maybe I hadn’t taught clearly enough important principles to guide their lives by or maybe I just hadn’t taught them in the right way or taught them enough.  I prayed and pondered and stewed over it for several years and then one day while I was driving and thinking about it the thought came into my head “Teach them correct principles and then they get to choose.”  I had been interpreting the quote the wrong way.  I had always thought it meant “teach them correct principles and then they will choose to do right.”  What an eye opener and game changer.  Yes, I could probably teach more clearly and be a better example but as I continued to do my best to teach good principles to live their lives by I was doing all I could.  The rest was and is up to them.