Filial obedience, and how to avoid it

Here at the beginning of the holiday season -- that annual celebration of human relationships -- is the time when I want to say:

People on my friends list. I like you. I want you to quit giving your parents permission to browbeat you.

Those of you with utterly, inescapably toxic parents probably already know that most advice isn't useful to you, including what I'm about to say. But those of you whose parents are a little critical or interfering but not actually committable whackjobs, listen up.

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