<p>To the Op - I had two experiences in my parents that seem somewhat similar.</p>
<p>First - Between a scholarship, loans, and work I managed to pay for 2/3rds of my undergraduate education. In would infuriate me when I heard my parents taking about how they put me through college. After I had purposely paid as much as I could lessening their burden I hated the words “we put 3togo through college”. A simlpe modification to “we helped put 3togo through college” would have caused a totally different reaction. To me this was more than symantics … they were taking credit for something I worked very hard for, was payign a steep price for, and was very proud of!</p>
<p>Second - when I was a senior I finally got around to having a decent social life. My parents started putting restrictions on my personal life in the interest of my cross country/track career. These restrictions involved not being able to go out on Friday and Saturday night (if I had a meet the next day). To me these rules were quite unfair. I’m sure my parents thought my staying home helped me run better but by then I knew that going out for a couple hours early in the evening actually helped me relax and I did better at meets the next day (where’s the other thread on kids knowing themselves better than parents sometimes). I tried to follow the advice given and just hang in there and live with their rules until I left for college … and then I fell in love and then the benefits of trying to change the restrictions was worth the conflict … so conflict it was.</p>
<p>Of course all this eventually passed and did not have any long-term effect on my relationship with my parents. They are good parents … not perfect parents … just as a I am a good son … but not a perfect one.</p>
<p>Good luck with your parents!</p>