I can't remember where I heard the suggestion recently, but someone was talking about a mother-daughter journal. I'm really making a concentrated effort to be a better parent; I definitely struggle with youngest DD. DD and I tend to be at odds with one another because she's so much like me. She's snarky when she's upset, she's dramatic, and she's trying to find her place in the world, and just in life. I know, I know, typical 12yo things!

At any rate, I bought http://www.amazon.com/Just-Between-U...ughter+journal this journal. DD was rather unimpressed initially with the idea, thinking it was going to be like homework. But then she looked through the journal on her own, and we chatted about the logistics at bedtime--I'd do the first entry, she'd do the response, then she would do an entry, and I'd do the response. We decided to leave it on each other's bed when we finished our part so that we could find it easily and know when it was ready for us to look at. So, at bed time, DH says, "Are you looking forward to the journal?" and DD says, "Yeah, it sounds okay." Her dimples rarely come out lately--that's her "true smile"--and they were out there as she was trying to sound kind of blasé about the whole journaling idea.

Last night was "20 facts about me..." and she has written her response already (same thing--20 things about her), and did an entry about something else. I haven't looked yet. But, she was so excited to see me, to let me know she saw the journal, and she couldn't finish her chores fast enough to have some time with the journal.

While it's definitely not a "cure" for our relationship, I'm feeling like this is an easy thing we can do to start to reconnect a bit more, even when we're fussy at each other!