If you're a child and feel you have to deal with controlling parents, it could be that they are behaving this way out of a wish to protect you. Some parents want to cover their children in a protective blanket, to shield them from the outside world. There are many stories of children being hurt by other people, and of bad things happening to them, so it's only natural for a parent to want to protect their child from these events.
Some parents though, can be over protective in their wish to look after their child, and the result can be that they assert too much control. This extra level of control, can be stifling for a child, and restrict them from emotional growth and from having the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
It can be very hard for a child to be able to discuss this subject with a parent, as they fear a negative response, but once a parent realizes their child is upset, they will usually be willing to listen, and possibly to compromise.
If you are an adult and your parents are still being controlling, it may still be because they wish to protect you, or it may be that many more issues have entered the arena.
As children grow into adults and leave home, parents can feel they are loosing a major role that took up a lot of time and energy before. This role may have been their life. When a child becomes an adult and no-longer needs them in the same way, they are left with a glaring hole where the role of 'active parent' used to reside.
To encourage a controlling parent to move on, you can help them find a new compelling interest they feel enthusiasm for. An interest which gives them a new role to focus on, rather than you, and that provides meaning and fulfillment.
At other times a parent may be controlling because they are afraid of getting older, loosing you and being by themselves. You can help to reassure them by letting them know you still need them, and you will always be there for them.
Sometimes controlling parents can make you feel angry. Especially when you have a busy family of your own to concentrate on. It can feel like parents are being selfish and unreasonable, making constant demands on you and instructing you on how to behave.
Take a deep breath, remain calm, and try to understand that the roles of parent and child sometimes fluctuate, going back and forth. Sometimes you may be the one with the most knowledge, and can act with responsibility and patience, as hopefully they did when you were a child.