I think the following is relevant for everyone, not just parents. It’s relevant for teachers, friends, and even in one’s personal growth with Hashem.

I heard b’shem (in the name of) the heintiger Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l the following

There is an idol called Ba’al Pe’or,¹ and the way it is worshiped is that the worshiper goes in front of it and defecates.

How is it possible that people — even primitive idol worshipers — would perform such a disgusting mode of worship?

The answer, the Rebbe zt”l replied, is that originally, the worshipers of Ba’al Pe’or would sit for a long time in front of the idol and meditate so deeply that they would lose conscious control of their bodily functions. However, these original idolaters did not explain to their children what they were doing and teach them how to meditate. So, the children only saw the external actions of their parents — that they were relieving themselves in front of the idol, and the children assumed that that was the main essence of worship.

The moral is that we (Jews, and presumably Bnei Noach as well -iHN) need to educate our children by explaining deep concepts to them, not just by having them parrot our external actions. (Ad kan toichen devorov zt”l — That’s the end of the summary of what I heard in the name of the Rebbe zt”l.)

Of course, convincing our children to follow in our footsteps is a tremendous challenge. Giving them unconditional love is a good way to encourage them. But, I can say from personal experience with my own children, that each child is different.

Some of my children ended up being moderately rebellious no matter what I’ve tried, and some have ended up very frum (religious), even though I didn’t provide them with the best model parenting.