As kids, we are taught that we owe our parents everything. And after all, they gave us life. They probably provided you with food and a roof over your head until you were 18 or even older. Maybe your dad taught you to ride a bike when you were eight, and when things went wrong mom was waiting for you to put a band-aid on your knee from him forgetting to teach you how to stop. At ten your mom started being a personal chauffeur for you and your friends. She would feed your small zoo, I mean friends, while they're at your house and then drive them home again when it got dark. At 15 you started high school and your parents shoveled out more money for school supplies than they ever had before. They paid for you to get new school clothes because last year's wardrobe just wasn't "cool" anymore. All in all, they paid for everything you needed and more since the time you were born. You always had food and a roof over your head. That in itself is something to be grateful for. But maybe someone else had a different upbringing.

It's more common than not that you hear about a child turning their back on a parent. A few years ago I would have been the first to shake my head at that thought. How could a kid turn their back on their mom or dad? Maybe there's more to it than that. I've learned that a parent can just as easily be more toxic to your life than radioactive waste. Here are a few reasons why maybe a child finally had to say enough is enough and cut their parent off.

1. Financial Expectancy

While your parents spent more than you could probably ever imagine to raise you, that shouldn't be thrown in your face as you grow up. As you hit your late teens/early '20s, you have to start thinking about more than the newest video games and latest clothes. You need a job, a car and are probably starting to think about moving out on your own or with friends. If a parent is constantly guilting you into giving them money with the line "I paid for you your whole life, it's time to pay me back," it's probably time to take a step back and think. Can I afford to support both of us? If the answer is no, and you're continuously guilted into giving them money, you need to put your foot down. Even if it does drive a wedge into the relationship.

2. Emotional/Physical Abuse

When we are born, we don't come with manuals. There's no "how to" book on raising a kid. It gets rough. Tempers flare, sleep is lost, messes are made and left for mom, someone eats the last cookie and you REALLY wanted it. Fighting is a normal part of a parent/child relationship. Low blows are taken. I think as kids we are all guilty of telling our parents we hate them once or twice. But there's a fine line between tough love and abuse. A parent who constantly tells their child to try their best is giving tough life. A parent who uses the phrase "not good enough" frequently, is abusive. Making your child feel unloved, unworthy, less than they are, for their whole life is emotionally abusive. There's a difference between a swat on the behind and a beating. As you grow older, sometimes as adults, we have to choose to separate ourselves from that kind of person. Even if it is our own parent.

3. They become the child and you the adult.

If you've made a life for yourself, then you need to do what is best for you. Especially if you've stepped out on your on and are no longer under your parents' roof. It's seemingly impossible to support one person on a regular income, let alone you, your family, AND your parent(s). If your parent chooses to waste their money and no pay for what they have to (rent, food, car, etc) then that should no be your fault. I understand helping them out, but not at the cost of cutting yourself so short that you lose everything you have built for yourself.

All in all, next time you hear a younger person talking about how hey don't talk to their parent anymore, maybe you should stop and think about WHY they don't before you just assume that they have taken everything for granted.