Running Head: The Effects of Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

The Effects of Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

Christine McGarry
EDPR 2111
University Of Memphis

Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract
In this paper, discussing the stages of puberty for boys and girls is necessary to
understand possible occurrences that may come about once a child begins puberty. The research
looked into in order to make this paper possible was based on hormonal reactivity and how the
more reactivity there is, the more likely it is for a relationship between a child and their
parent/parents to turn problematic. The effects of puberty on parent-child relationships varies
depending on the childs mental state, timing(when entering puberty), surroundings, and their
over-all experience during each stage of puberty. Because boys and girls do not experience all of
the same things, nor do they usually start around the same time, it is important to keep this in
mind as one of most potential reasons why a relationship between a parent and a child may be
effected negatively. A more basic concept to keep in mind for this study, is that everyone handles
things differently and everyone has a different perspective, meaning that one child may still hang
out with their family and only prefer alone time occasionally, where as another child may prefer
to be alone over being around their family. There are many possibilities, and that is why this
paper will give the main reasoning behind each common possibility.
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Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

Puberty is a very complex stage in a childs life. It is the beginning of drastic physical
changes and although it affects both boys and girls, it does not affect them in the same ways. For
girls, it starts between ages eight and thirteen and usually ceases around age fourteen and the
increase in breast growth is one of the first physical changes they encounter. Next comes the
changes in their shape and height, which tends to stop its process when puberty ends. In between
these processes and along the way, pubic hair begins growing. Although with all of this sounding
quite drastic, the most impactful part of their path through puberty is when their menstrual cycle
begins, which is when they begin ovulating or in other words, producing eggs that are then able
to be fertilized. Luckily for boys, nothing really changes that stays as an occurrence throughout
almost their entire life which in this case, is how it is for girls.
Boys share a few of the same changes that girls go through, although their puberty is
more likely to start somewhere between ages nine and twelve. First, their hormones become very
active and then, between nine and fifteen, their height increases, body shape changes, and their
testicles, and scrotum begin growing. Muscle tissues and fat also develop, and between ages
eleven and sixteen, their penis starts to grow in length rather than width, while their pubic hair
gets darker and courser. During all of these processes, their growth in height continues, their
shoulders broaden, and their faces begin looking more mature.
As you can see, the process of puberty varies between boys and girls but still has a few
similarities. Also, because girls usually start puberty before boys, stress is added to their lives
since they are emotionally and cognitively in different places (Winsor, Murrell, Jackson, 2015).
When someone at such a young age experiences such dramatic changes, it must be taken into
consideration that most of their time spent outside of school is spent at home. With that being
said, their moods and physical changes are very obvious in the eyes of their family members. For

Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

instance, consider a young girl gets her period for the first time. Because she is aware that
something of that nature has never happened to her before, she has to go to either her mother or
father to tell them what has happened. First, she has to be comfortable enough to do so, and
second, she has to come to the understanding that from there on out it is a monthly occurrence.
For a boy, they do not necessarily have to go to a parent about anything, but it is usually more
than evident that they have begun puberty because their voice will crack a significant amount,
along with many other signs that parents are bound to notice since they themselves had once
experienced it as well. On the other hand, just because a parent has been through it and is able to
recognize the signs, does not mean that they can get their child to understand it and alter how
they would naturally act.
A child understanding what is happening to them is much different from them being able
to control it. Their moods, thoughts, and even hobbies can change drastically during puberty.
Some people think of it as the common teenager stage, but this process happening during and
often times a bit after puberty is no coincidence. According to Marceau, K. et al., the more
hormonal reactivity there is, the more of a chance there is of a parent-child relationship turning
problematic. In that particular study, research showed that there is a reasonably less amount of
interactions between the child and the parent and there is even an increase in conflict.
Usually when the child is going through puberty, their moods go unnoticed in their
perspective (Cox, R. et al). In other words, they do not realize how they are acting different,
whether its because they have been staying in their room more often, or because they have
seemed less friendly to their family members. If a child does realize they are acting different, it
comes off to them as out of their control and they continue acting differently regardless. These

Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

changes are thought to be short-term, although not much research has been done regarding the
possibility of long term effects.
Consider the frustration one feels when they feel like their own inner self is out of their
control, which is the one thing that most of us have the ability to control. Adjusting to that
specific change would be difficult enough in itself, and along with all of the other bodily changes
added to that, one is permissible to be a bit frustrated, confused, and maybe even moody. Every
frustration one has no matter what it has to do with, goes home with them, whether it is in the
back of their mind or fresh at the front. Either way, the mood is bound to be effected. This is the
reasoning why parent-child relationships among all others are more prone to being effected
compared to other relationships. A friend from school does not live in the same house as you, nor
does your teacher, or the friend down the street. Only your family, which are the people whom
are very close to you literally and in your heart. Puberty can not be run away from. It must be
endured and overcome, as it is a natural process we all go through. It does effect mood and
thought, as other such drastic changes would, so the possibility of very close relationships being
effected negatively for that period of time is to be expected.

Puberty on Parent-Child Relationships

References:

Marceau, K., Dorn, L. D., & Susman, E. J. (2012). Stress and puberty-related hormone reactivity,
negative emotionality, and parentadolescent relationships. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 371286-

1298. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.01.001
Cox, R. B., Shreffler, K. M., Merten, M. J., Schwerdtfeger Gallus, K. L., & Dowdy, J. L. (2015).
Parenting, Peers, and Perceived Norms: What Predicts Attitudes Toward Sex Among Early
Adolescents?. Journal Of Early Adolescence, 35(1), 30. doi:10.1177/02724316145