Many changes occur in behavior, attitudes, and feelings in a relatively short period of time during adolescence. It is often at this point that a clear change can be recognized in the role of the parent in the child's life. Gender roles are beginning to become more definite as societal pressures build and cultural expectations solidify. The pressures and transitions associated with adolescence create a tension between child and adult. As biological maturity takes place, societal dependence also takes a prominent stand, forcing upon the teen the tension and turmoil associated with becoming and adult. As G. Stanley Hall, a psychologist, accurately points out, "(adolescence is) a time when their peers" social approval (is) imperative, their sense of direction in life (is) in flux, and their feeling of alienation from their parents (is) deepest" (Myers 160). Illustrating this change in mind set and perception of the world is the social acceptance given to a young girl who plays with trucks, or a young boy who dresses up in girls clothes; however, by adolescence this societal view changes immensely. Girls are expected to take on the maternal and nurturing role while boys are expected to remain tough and be active in violent sports and risk-taking situations. The short story Boys and Girls, by Alice Munro, demonstrates this point excellently. "He spoke with resignation, even good humor, the words which absolved and dismissed me for good. "She's only a girl," he said" (Knorr and Schell 24). At adolescence children are expected to assume the correct gender role. This fact alone largely contributes to the void that grows between fathers and daughters and sons and mothers. During adolescence, differences between the sexes are suddenly intensified by not only peer groups, but the society as a whole. This may cause young boys to demand freedom from their mothers and young daughters to grow distant and indifferent towards their fathers.
