Parent-child relationships transition over time. When children are babies, they rely on their parents to tell them everything they need to do. They have no clear understanding of why their parents say what they say. The child does what the parent tells them to do. Parents teach children right from wrong at a very young age. As children get older and can reason and comprehend independently, they begin to question what the parent says and why they said it.

I'm a firm believer that parents must explain things to your children. If you leave children to curiosity, they're going to try somethings just because a parent said not to. If a parent tells a child no, the parent should explain why they said no. A parent should never say to a child to do something without an explanation. Children respond better when they know why they are doing something. Don't just verbalize to a child not to touch a stove without giving a reason. It is better to tell a child not to touch a stove because they could get burned. You may even show pictures of burns to get the point across.

As children become adolescents, parents begin to explain more to them. Parents explain to them how things function and why they do what they do. At this stage in a child's life, they need permission to do certain things. A child in high school needs permission to go to a party or a game. When they become adults, the role of the parent transitions again, and now children no longer need permission. They seek approval of whether or not something is okay to do.

When my children were in high school, they would ask my husband and me if they could go here or go there. Our response would be yes or no. Now that they are grown, they don't ask for permission. We give them approval to go places when they tell us where they are going. They still live under our roof, so they must obey our house rules, but they no longer seek our permission.

It is essential to transition to the point where parents allow their adult children to make decisions independently. Parents may not always approve of their child's choices, but parents should make their children comfortable making their own decisions. Don't raise children to be adults and then make them believe that they need to come to their parents for everything. As parents, we should allow our children to make their own decisions, whether it is right or wrong.

If a child makes a wrong decision, a parent should not chastise them but help them. Focus on how to resolve the issue. Speak on what the better choice could be and work on fixing the mistake. Never make a child feel uncomfortable about making decisions, even if it is a bad one. Be as supportive as possible, and work with them on how to make better choices.

The transitions of parenting are not always smooth and take some time to get used to. It is imperative that the relationship transition as children get older, so the relationship is healthy. Parents should never want to foster a toxic relationship with their children because they refuse to allow them to become adults. Let them feel free to make their own decisions without being condescending. Think about how you felt at their age and treat your child the same way you wanted to be treated.