Is avoiding sitting with and joking with one's parents, and limiting interaction with them to fulfilling needs and formalities to avoid their harm and dominance, while speaking gently and not causing offense, considered disobedience and defiance, or is it the correct action?

A person is not disobedient to their parents or rebellious against their Lord by refraining from entertaining them if doing so leads to an evident harm, as long as they fulfill their rights and avoid harming them. One should strive to reach the highest degrees of righteousness and kindness towards them, by seeking Allah's help, striving against oneself, and being sincere to Allah. Among what aids in this is contemplating the status of righteousness and its immense reward, for it is one of the greatest causes of Allah's pleasure and entering His Gardens, due to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The parent is the middle gate of Paradise; so if you wish, neglect this gate, or preserve it." The meaning of this is that the best means to enter Paradise is through obedience to one's parent and being mindful of their rights.