Rules or Respect?

In my home when I was little, there were things that my siblings and I knew we should never do. These included things like waking my mom and dad up early or pushing my sister off the tramp or even ignoring our mom when she asked us to make our bed. All of these so called "rules" weren't necessarily written out and taped to the fridge. We didn't do all of these because we had respect for my parents and their divine authority. As a child, I don't think I had a rebellious bone in my body. I think the most rebellious I ever was, was a time in high school where I didn't clean my room when my mom asked because I was doing homework. Now not every child can be as cool as I was, but there should always be a respectful line between a child and their parents. There can't be a blurred line where the child believes they are at the same level as the mom and dad. The child can then walk all over them and there will be no respect and the child could never learn to think of other. But this doesn't mean that there should be a wall. A wall can damage the relationship and trust between them. There still needs to be a picket fence, where the child and parents can have a mutual respect. Even though I am an adult and no longer live at home, I will still check in at night with my mom. Not because I feel like a need to be parented, but because I know she worries and I love her. Our relationship is strong because we have a mutual respect and a good balance between her being a mother and her being my best friend. A good child/parent relationship can be a determining factor on that child's future, whether it's good or bad.