Looking Forward to Adolescence

Abstract

One hundred five parents were surveyed about their expectations for what their relationship with their sixth-grade child would be like when their child becomes an adolescent. Parents rated a series of items concerning how much they felt they could influence their child's behaviors and interests currently and when their child becomes an adolescent. Parents also rated their child's level of pubertal development on several items, as well as the quality of their current relationship with their child Findings suggest that mothers and fathers do not differ in their expectations for how their sons or daughters will change as they move into adolescence. Nevertheless, the relation between the gender of the child and parental expectations, taking the child's pubertal status into account, is mediated by current parent-child relationships in predicting parental expectations for change during adolescence. These findings are discussed in terms of the impact current parent-child relationships can have on future relationships.