Alma 38:12

Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

To bridle means to restrain, guide or control. A passion is a strong emotion. To be an effective servant and teacher, it is important to control our strong emotions so we can be sensitive to the Holy Ghost. The Spirit speaks most often through our feelings. If our emotions are out of control, the Spirit will not be able to communicate with us. Without the Spirit, we cannot teach. In addition, love -- the greatest passion -- needs room in our hearts to flourish. If we are filled with negative emotions, love cannot grow. Without love, we can neither teach nor serve. Unbridled passions are a characteristic of the natural man. We have to rely on the atonement and the grace of Christ to overcome the natural man and bridle his passions.

Enos 1:1

Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it.

To bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is to teach them that God will both nurture and encourage them. To nurture is to further the development of someone, to provide nourishment for growth. An admonition is a warning about behavior. So we are to nourish our children's faith in Christ and warn them when they exhibit behavior that will lead them away from faith.

“Treat your children as sons and daughters of God. Be kind. Love them. Respect them. Counsel with them. Teach them. Pray for them. Guide them and God will bless both them and you” (in Church News, 1 Nov. 1997, 2).

Jacob 4:3

Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

This is also the hope of my heart as I write many things to my children, that they will receive them and appreciate them and learn from them. What I failed to teach them as youngsters I hope they profit from as adults.

Jacob 1:19

And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

We each have a ministry to fulfill. We are responsible to teach others, and especially our children. If we do all we can, we will not be held accountable for the agency of others. If we do not make the effort, however, God will hold us culpable for our neglect of duty.  We will bear at least part of the guilt. Thankfully, the Atonement can overcome every sin and all guilt. We can repent, make amends, and be healed even of lost opportunities.