Tell me if this sounds familiar: you pick her up from school and greet her with “How was your day?”. You hear her barely whisper “fine” accompanied with a big sigh. You ask her if she wants to talk about it – she says nothing. So you explain she needs to make her bed and then walk the dog. You reach home and as soon as she enters the front door, she yells and screams, and slams her bedroom door. Not 5 minutes later, she comes running to you and in her sweetest little girl voice asking if she can have one of the cupcakes you bought this weekend. Confused? Join most moms today trying to raise a preteen girl. I have heard various versions of this story – moms trying to connect with their daughters and yet feeling so disconnected. After school, conflict seems to ensue so easily – you can’t seem to ever do or say the right thing – and you end up feeling confused by her mixed messages. After a busy stressful day, after school is one the toughest parts of her day. Why? This is the time when she’s at her lowest energy level and…...