As parents, we want to keep our children safe.  We opt for conservatism and caution becasue we do not want the to get hurt, physically or emotionally.  As children, some of us are ok with having decisions made for us. We trust our parents and their intentions, and so we go by their judgment.

As adults, some of us want to stretch. We want to test ourselves, what we know, what we believe.  We want to exercise our independence and take a few risks to see exactly where our abilities can take us.

There's an in-between phase, though, where we resist following our parents, and instead follow our inclinations towards other directions. That often happens during adolescence.  For some of us, it stretches far into adulthood.

For me, following my parents is a habit.  I notice that I do what they say just because they say it, regardless of what I might think or how I might feel.  I've only recently started to break this habit, not out of rebellion but out of thinking for myself.  My parents are good people who only want what's best for me.  I know this.  I guess that's why it's taking so long to cut the umbilical cord.