from a child domain to a parent domain?  I need to collapse a child domain and I am a little confused on how to go about this.  there is documentation but its just a lot of information to go through for a application I am only going to use once.  do I migrate groups first? users first?  also do I need to use the Password Export Server if the domain is a child and not a entirely different forest, id rather not have to install anything on the child domain controllers if I don't have to.

ADMT inter-domain migration is not a quick and simple thing.  I can't even begin to offer you advice until I know every blessed detail about both the child and parent domains and the forest.  There's a very good reason why what you're trying to do is usually handled by outside consultants and I highly recommend that is the route you take.

If you're not going to have an outside consultant handle it, then you need to re-create a facsimile your environment in a lab and read every scrap you can find on ADMT.  Then build your options file and fire it off in your lab and see how it turns out, tune it until you have it where you want it, then do it in your production environment.

Remember, lab lab lab.  If this goes sideways it could potentially kill your entire forest.

this would be a intra domain migration not moving between two forests.  just moving user objects, and groups into the parent domain.

How many objects?  (you have to have a complete inventory to even try this)

couple hundred tops

Alright you still need to go through the whole process.  Again, if you don't have the time to go through it all on your own look at an outside consultant.

Look under technet for interforest Active Directory domain restructure.  You have to make sure the encryption is in place (it usually is by default) verify your functional level is above 2003, make the actual migration accounts with all the proper delegation, prepare both domains for SID history migration, then you actually install ADMT.

And you migrates Groups, Users, Computers, then all remaining objects.  You will need to use PES because the parent domain refers to the child domain for authentication and trusts the response, but the parent domain doesn't actually contain the passwords.

Again, read and follow the entire process.  Duplicate your DCs in both domains in a lab, test the migration, then create a test user/services accounts, and test them. Have solid known good backups of EVERYTHING before you start.