Referring to the work of Steinberg (1988), two hypotheses were tested: Does menarche intensify the individuation process of the mother-daughter relationship? ("distancing hypothesis") and do conflicts between mothers and daughters speed up the onset of menarche? ("acceleration hypothesis"). Additionally, the significance of different family-structures to these processes is considered. Data was collected in a three wave panel. Sixty-eigth girls aged ten at the first wave were observed in a playing situation with their mothers and questioned about their menarche. The hypotheses were partly confirmed by logistic and hierarchical regression analyses: Menarche led to more controlling and less egalitarian behavior of the mothers. Girls' separating behavior preceded menarche immediately and therefore wasn't interpreted as an acceleration effect. Comparing nuclear and stepfamilies to single mother families, in the former families mothers were more controlling and less egalitarian and the girls were less separating. The interplay of puberty and individuation is discussed