Running head: SRI LANKAN TAMIL FAMILIES IN CANADA

Family composition and relationships may undergo significant changes upon immigration and settlement. This article approaches teen-parent relationships through the intergenerational solidarity framework, which addresses three areas of conflict and/or consensus related to (a) functional solidarity, (b) consensual solidarity, and (3) normative solidarity. Interviews took place in the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Toronto, Canada with 20 teens who talked about relationships with their parents. The study found that teens describe their intergenerational relations in positive terms, despite reported areas of conflict, which lends support to the resiliency framework. Noteworthy areas of intergenerational negotiation are (a) education, (b) cultural core values, and (c) degrees of freedom. Gender differences with regard to (b) and (c) are of interest, with daughters seen as culture bearers to whom parents allow fewer freedoms than sons receive. Cohort differences also appear because there is a relationship between one’s age at immigration and alignment of values and expectations with parents: the older the person immigrating, the more likely he or she is to have common values and expectations with parents.