My usually compliant, loving, easy-going daughter just told me that I was annoying, weird, and that I was embarrassing her. We were the only ones in the room, I might add, so I'm not sure if she was embarrassed that the sofa or the sheetrock was listening in. She didn't want to do her homework or fold her laundry; she wanted to go hang out with a friend. I was encouraging her to do both. Incidentally, she will be 12 in two and a half months and she has a pimple on her chin. She eventually got the required laundry and homework done, but sadly her friend was unavailable. So she cleaned her room and practiced her viola. Bonus! A mere few weeks ago, after witnessing a large amount of teenage angst coming from a certain older sister, she promised me that she would always be nice to me. I told her I would hold her to it. She already forgot. In the evening she snuggled with me on the couch and said she wanted to stay there forever. I will cherish those sweet moment...