Generally, parents tend to mean, however, there are times when adhering strictly to parents' advice could be detrimental. For example, when it comes to your dreams and goals as a person, a parent should usually be supportive. Sometimes, well-meaning parents discourage their children from pursuing their dreams, by transferring their own fears onto their son or daughter.

Career Advice

The world is a different place than it was when your parents were children or even young adults. Many parents remain out of touch with the real world when it comes to the working world. Unless you know them to be on the cutting edge of business, it is a good idea to take their career advice with a grain of salt. The world has become more diverse over time and many new, unconventional careers have opened up as a result. Failure at a job is no longer as traumatic as it once was. This is because it is rare that a person stays in the same job all of her life or working for the same company.

Engaging in Destructive Behavior

When parents engage in destructive behavior, such as bad habits like smoking, drinking or taking drugs, it is a good idea to evaluate how accurate the information they give you is. People who choose to engage in destructive behavior patterns that affect their health often make other poor decisions. Ingesting toxic substances can also alter consciousness on chemical levels and have long term affects that cause judgment inadequacies.

Consider the Source

If you routinely get information from your parents that you know to be false or inaccurate, always fact check the information that is given to you. Don't just agree with it because it is coming from someone you care about. People need to be evaluated for how accurate their information is, rather than just how you feel about them. You wouldn't take advice from someone whom you knew dispensed unqualified information regularly, and if your parents are doing that, it should be no different.

Old, Outdated Information

Parents often impart information that is old, outdated and based upon no factual evidence. Sometimes it is based on information that they received from an unverifiable source or one of their older relatives. While it can be well-meaning, listening to such advice can actually be harmful. Often, parents don't take the time to gather all of the facts necessary before they try to insinuate their opinions into yours.

Emotional Abuse

Many children live in emotionally unstable and abusive homes throughout their lives which continues into adulthood. Be wary of "advice" which involves being shouted at, sworn at or spoken to in an unfriendly or disrespectful way. We often overlook this when dealing with family members. Long term abuse is sometimes learned to be tolerated and accepted. Using threats, sarcasm and making fun of you in any way, from how you look to how you act, is not healthy and should be ignored. Limit your involvement with parents who behave this way and if necessary, disconnect from them entirely.