You can apply whatever interpretation you like, however King Solomon, and his original Jewish readers, did NOT take any proverb as an absolute truth, which is one reason the very book is called PROVERBS. The definition of the word "proverb" in English, (and in its Hebrew equivalent too) is A TRUISM...that is a wise saying with is USUALLY (but not always) true.
If you make it into something the authors...that is, Solomon, AND the Holy Spirit, never intended it to be, than you are making up your own meaning to scripture, and not taking God's Word for what it is--what He intended. Forcing our own meaning onto something that God intended otherwise is a form of idolatry.
I'm sure Job's friends may have quoted the proverb: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18) or, "Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor." (Prov. 29:3) as don't these verses PROVE that Job's own sin brought him down?
No, they don't, as God Himself called Job righteous (Job 1:8), and God allowed Job to be brought low, for His own reasons, even as He judged Job's accusers.
Hebrew narrative, like the story of Job, or, Genesis, or I, II Kings (etc), is a genre the original authors (the writer, and the Holy Spirit) intended to be taken literally...so right interpreters do so.
Proverbs are called "proverbs" for a reason, and that is because the genre is that of a truism, a proverb.
Anything to bring doubt on the Bible in the minds of those who have no heart intent to obey God. I know how it works.
You say, "A TRUISM...that is a wise saying with is USUALLY (but not always) true."
Millions of bible-believing Christians will enjoy the fruits of raising a godly family heritage. You are free to look for some linguistic explanation for other professing Christians to raise worldlings, if you like. I find those linguistic manipulations a ploy, and a trick of the devil, to lure people away from God's standards and to lower theeir estimation of the Bible.