Connecting with your Teenage Daughter

So let me just start by saying I never imagined raising two teenage girls would be so hard. Some days I'm like, "ooh I can't wait for you to move out {insert eye roll here}. Now mind you my girls are 15 and 17 and are no way ready to be self sufficient but man- sometimes it just gets like that.
Ok I'm thinking the Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde first moved into my home during 7th grade. And it literally happened overnight. Now mind you I spent two years as an Assistant Principal at a middle school so I thought I would have a good handle on my middle schoolers. Umm negative!!!! It was so funny at how well I handled other people's children but when it came to mine, I was just a hotttt mess🔥🔥🔥. I remember one evening it was the honor award ceremony for one of the girls and I

Chloe and Shanel on Prom Day

thought it would be a good gesture to bring her a bouquet of flowers; after all I had seen plenty of other parents to it. Well let's just say my feeling were left wide open because when she acted embarrassed about the flowers and would not even take them out my hand I about lost it😥😥😥. And then no sooner than 20 minutes later she had no quormes about asking me to buy something for her 😡👹. Are you kidding me.
So fast forward to now and I can say I have pretty much learned to roll all that drama off my back. Literally my girls can be ready to go at blows and I'll just walk by in my calm voice and say "cut it out" and go on about my business. Hey no use in me raising my blood pressure hollering and screaming- then they will be calling me the crazy lady😜. There was a time when I would come home from work and go straight into my room and close the door (just like they do) except I was the parent and needed to be running the household. So what has changed? Me🙋🏽, I have changed and as a result so has the attitudes and behaviors of my girls. Now don't get me wrong, we still have shouting matches here and there- but it doesn't last very long and I am usually not involved.