She’s your best friend, except when she’s driving you up the wall. You always ask her opinion — but if you don’t follow her advice, look out! She’s your mother. Or she’s your daughter. (And, frankly, sometimes it seems like she has this backward.) It may feel as if your mother-daughter relationship is entirely unique, but women everywhere are following parallel paths.

For this story, experts distilled the myriad mother-daughter relationships down to five typical types — from best friends to clashing personalities. Find yours and read about what works, what doesn’t, and, even better, how to make the most of what you’ve got. It turns out that, with a little listening and empathizing, those ties that bind don’t have to wind up in knots.