The main purpose of this study was to examine the relations between maternal parenting, mother-adolescent conflict, and middle adolescents' self-esteem with a sample of 271 high school students enrolled in 2nd year at high school in Seoul, and their mothers. Data was analysed using correlations and regression analyses. Maternal affection, monitoring and reasoning were positively related with and maternal physical abuse and neglect were negatively related with adolescent self-esteem. Maternal over-expectation and intrusiveness were not related with adolescent self-esteem in boys, but were negatively related with adolescent self-esteem in girls. In both adolescents' and mothers' report, mother-adolescent conflict was related negatively with adolescent self-esteem. In mothers' report, mother-adolescent conflict was not related with adolescent self-esteem in boys, but was negatively related with adolescent self-esteem in girls. In adolescents' report, maternal affection, monitoring and reasoning were negatively related with mother-adolescent conflict, which maternal over-expectation, intrusiveness, neglect, and physical abuse were positively related with mother-adolescent conflict. In mothers' report, maternal affection, monitoring and reasoning were negatively related with mother-adolescent conflict. Mediating roles of mother-adolescent conflict in relation of maternal parenting and adolescent self-esteem were examined. In adolescents' report, mother-adolescent conflict perceived by male adolescents played a mediating role between maternal monitoring, reasoning and physical abuse, representatively, and adolescent self-esteem. And mother-adolescent conflict perceived by female adolescents played a mediating role between maternal parenting with the expectation of maternal affection and adolescent self-esteem. In mothers' report, mother-adolescent conflict perceived by mothers only played mediating role between maternal monitoring and adolescent self-esteem. So, mediating roles of mother-adolescent conflict were more emphasized in the adolescents' report than in the mothers' report. Therefore, the fact that maternal parenting except affection affects the adolescent self-esteem indirectly through mother-adolescent conflict can be found. Implying that maternal affection is crucial in implying positive self-esteem of adolescents.