It can be sweet, or it can be icky.

If the parent likes the kid for who they are, and is just happy to have a great relationship with another independent human, that's great.

But, sometimes the parents are obsessed with having a kid who they can mould in their own image. They insist, for example, that the kid become amazing at football, because they never made it as a football player but through their kid they can live their own dreams vicariously.