Family is a very important aspect in the lives of middle school girls.
While many are attempting to separate from their families and establish their independence, they still rely heavily on the family structure as a major support in their lives. It was also evident that the girls' families came in just about every possible variation. There were intact, two parent families in which the girls had good relationships with both mother and father, as well as those in which daughters felt they had a good relationship with only one parent. There were also girls from two parent families who felt connected to neither parent. There were girls from divorced families who felt close to both parents, or to just one parent.