It is no secret that parent-child relationships can be fraught as kids come of age. Adolescence is a time when people go through a lot of changes that can be difficult to deal with for both themselves and other people, and on the flip side, those who have always had a strained relationship with their mom or dad often find this to be a period where they start realizing things and standing up for themselves.

The latter event can come as a nasty surprise for parents who desire a sense of control over the lives of their kids, and more often than not, they find ways to retaliate if their children rebel. To pretty much nobody’s surprise, that usually makes an already messy situation even more complicated, and does no favors to their kids wanting to maintain a relationship with them. Whether they like it or not, that control can only last for so long.