Conversations about parent-child relationships can lead to striking revelations about neglect, selfish actions, or the lack of a close parental relationship. While there’s no denying the impact parents have on children, the reasons for their colds in adulthood aren’t always the parents’ fault.

Most parents do their best to build healthy relationships with their children, forming a bond that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, there are certain traits of adult children that often cause their parents to want to distance themselves once they grow up.

Not all adult children appreciate their parents’ efforts and can actually be the cause of alienation. This eventually creates a domino effect where their once beautiful relationship no longer exists.

Here are 8 traits of adult children that often make parents want to distance themselves

1. Entitled

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Entitled adult children often cause their parents to want to distance themselves. This is not an easy decision for parents as they have seen their child grow up and reach important milestones.

But having an entitled child can be unbearable, especially once that child grows into a full grown adult. An entitled adult often has a victim mentality, is incredibly selfish, lacks empathy, and does not express gratitude for what they have or what their parents gave them.

Parents do their best to raise kind and caring children, so their hard work is a slap in the face. However, it is important for parents not to be too hard on themselves. They should realize that just because this person is their child, it does not mean that parents owe their grown children anything. As adults, they need to stand on their own two feet and learn that their right has consequences.

RELATED: 5 Subtle Signs Your Child Might Be Entitled (Thank You)

2. Manipulative

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Adult children who often make parents want to distance themselves can be extremely manipulative. Placed in front of their parents, these adult children will use their tears or past experiences to get what they want out of a situation.

Parents might constantly hear “Please, I just need a little help” from their grown children, but along with other requests, these favors usually end up with exhausted parents who feel used. It can also lead parents to question whether all this effort is worth it and how it is harmful to accept these requests without consideration.

According to Jamie Cannon MS, LPC“Manipulators are experts at understanding and using other people’s emotions to get what they want… This causes self-doubt and will cause you to question your own sense of reality.” Cannon added that victims of emotional manipulation experience paranoia, difficulty trusting others, and increased anxiety.

With all of this in mind, parents should never feel bad about wanting to distance themselves from manipulative people, even if that manipulative person is their adult child.

3. Disrespectful

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Another trait of adult children that often makes parents want to distance themselves is disrespect. It’s not uncommon for parents and their adult children to get into an argument and say things that are hurtful. However, constant disrespect can lead to the collapse of even the strongest relationships.

Failure to comply leads to contempt in relationships. According to the Gottman Institutecontempt is one of the four horsemen, which are predictors of divorce. However, they can certainly be applied to family relationships as well. In addition, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that being disrespectful had a greater impact on feelings of aggression than being unpleasant.

Disrespectful adult children sometimes lead to an estranged relationship between them and their parents. But parents should not tolerate such behaviorno matter what

4. Reckless

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Adult children who make reckless decisions cause their parents to distance themselves or feel like they can no longer have their children in their lives. No parent wants to see their child hurt or walking down a dark path, but parents can only do so much before their efforts become futile.

If parents have tried counseling, group therapy, meditation, travel, or talking about their feelings and it still isn’t enough, it might be time to let things go. If not, parents risk putting their mental health at risk. Because, according to the National Alliance for Mental Health in California“Untreated mental health conditions can lead to unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, improper incarceration … and poor quality of life.”

Parents of adult children who act recklessly without any remorse should prioritize their well-being. Otherwise, it can destroy their life and cause an even bigger rift.

RELATED: Parents who say these 10 phrases usually don’t stay close to their grown children

5. scapegoat

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Adult children may find that their parents distance themselves because of their tendency to blame their parents for everything. Adult children need to understand that not everything is their parents’ fault; for example, their parents did not cause them to break up with their partner or avoid taking advantage of a job opportunity. Sometimes the reason their life didn’t turn out the way they wanted falls on both of their shoulders.

Unfortunately, most of these adult children don’t really understand or care, causing their parents to want to distance themselves. In the end, taking responsibility could have saved their relationship with their parents and made their bond stronger.

Parents of adult children who are “blaming” or “scapegoating” should not be hard on themselves. They cannot force their children to see reason. And sometimes, parents have to make the difficult decision to distance themselves from their children if they want to keep their mental health under control.

6. I don’t appreciate

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Another trait of adult children that causes parents to want to distance themselves is showing no appreciation for their parents’ sacrifices. They don’t care about all the things their parents gave them or how their parents had to work extremely hard to give them the opportunities they themselves weren’t given.

If these adults have lived a privileged life for far too long, it can be hard to get them to see why, leading parents to cut ties completely. The truth is, no matter how hard these parents worked, their grown children will never appreciate what they have until it is far too late.

Although it is difficult, parents should not regret their decision to distance themselves. Unappreciated feeling it can lead to feelings of confusion, frustration and general heartache. All of these can have a negative impact on a person’s mental health. And for parents, their happiness and peace of mind should come first, even if it means cutting off the people they love.

7. Overreactive

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People who overreact to criticism can damage their relationship with their parents. Overreacting causes tension and resentment to build up over time. They may yell at their parents for being rude without trying to understand the parents’ intentions.

Even if their parents want to talk about their emotions and find healthy ways to move forward, a toxic adult child like this won’t give in and it could lead to alienation. Unfortunately for parents who choose to keep their children in their lives, research published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that dealing with aggressive people is bad for a person’s health. When looking at romantic relationships specifically, researchers have determined that things like raising your voice are harmful.

But these results don’t just apply to romantic relationships; they can also apply to parent-child relationships, giving parents another reason not to feel bad about wanting to distance themselves from their toxic adult children.

8. Inconsiderate

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One of the most glaring traits of adult children, which often causes their parents to want to distance themselves, is inconsideration. When parents make their boundaries clear, it can feel like a punch in the gut when their kids bulldoze those lines.

Parents set those limits for a reasonafter all. Maybe they are struggling financially or their mental health has taken a turn for the worse. However, not respecting the limits can have major consequences.

According to UC Davis Healthlack of healthy boundaries leads to burnout. This is because limits are set to protect a person’s mental and physical health. Unfortunately, it gives parents another valid reason to distance themselves from their grown children because they don’t care about anyone but themselves.

RELATED: 16 types of people you should keep at a distance, no matter how close you feel to them

Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a BA in Psychology who covers self-help, relationship, career, family, and astrology topics.