Mistake in parenting: neutrally presenting truth or the church so children can choose for themselves

I have heard of several examples of parents who do not enforce rules or require children to do certain things or live a certain way because they "want the children to choose for themselves to follow the church teachings." This sounds very much like a logical argument, but it is incorrect. The world pushes people hard to live the way the world wants. As a result, most people who only have influence from others in the world will end up living like them. To be a truly fair situation for children, their parents need to teach them as powerfully as possible the right way to go in order for their children to have as good a chance as possible to make wise choices. 2 Nephi 2:16 talks about the need for good and bad influences to entice people in order for a test to be fair. Without good or bad influences that are each enticing, there would be no test in life.

Elder Christofferson speaks on this exact topic in conference in 2009.

I have heard a few parents state that they don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are (see D&C 93:24). Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.

Seeking to be neutral about the gospel is, in reality, to reject the existence of God and His authority. We must, rather, acknowledge Him and His omniscience if we want our children to see life’s choices clearly and be able to think for themselves. They should not have to learn by sad experience that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

His last line is terrific. Parents owe it to their children to help keep them from learning by "sad experience that 'wickedness never was happiness'".

Have a great day.