| There's no magic potion for parenting. |
Actually, this is a no-brainer. Hello! Our kids have free will and we can do everything possible to help them be responsible, holy adults and still watch heartbroken as they make bad, self-destructive decisions. I take comfort in Proverbs 22: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Some children accept what parents say and believe, take it to heart, and never rebel. Others learn the hard way. They have to stick their fingers in the fire to see if it's really hot.