Adolescence may be a time of heightened conflicts and diminished closeness in the parent-child relationship, but most disagreements between parents and young teenagers are over less important matters, and most teenagers and parents agree on the essentials. By late adolescence most children report feeling of having same closeness to their parents as they did during elementary school.
The teenager’s quest to become independent is a normal part of development. The parent should not see it as a rejection or loss of control. Parents need should be available to listen to the child’s ideas without dominating his or her independent identity.
