OK, so Dad probably doesn’t want to go shopping or head out for a manicure. But there are some things you can do with him to tighten up (and lighten up!) your relationship. Here are our awesome ideas:

Build a Fort
Whether you have a big backyard or a secret spot in the woods where you and your friends hang out, enlist your dad’s help to construct an awesome fort. Lots of dads are handy with tools, and building something together could help you also build on your relationship!

Pick a Sport
Most dads love sports. Is your dad a football or baseball fanatic? You can bond by doing something as fun and simple as tossing a ball back and forth at the park. Or introduce your dad to your fave athletic activity. Think you can convince him to put on a pair of skates and head to the nearest indoor ice rink?

Plot a Garden
Does your dad break a sweat every weekend while mowing the lawn? Maybe you can get him to dig out a patch where you two can grow a vegetable garden. If you don’t have the yard space, plant cherry tomatoes in large containers or make a windowsill herb garden.

Cook a Meal
Dads love to eat, right? You don’t have to be a culinary genius to have a ton of fun making food (and chowing) together. Ask your dad to show you how to concoct his famous layered nacho dip. Or, make fresh pasta sauce using your own fresh herbs, and grill up some sliced zucchini from your veggie garden.

Create Some Art
Even if you don’t consider yourselves artists, everyone has some creative abilities. Break out the colored pencils or make a photo collage together. Or, hey, see if your dad will help you paint your bedroom a cool new color!

Listen to Music
You and your dad might not always agree when it comes to musical tastes, but open your minds -- and your ears. Pick something from your playlist that you think might appeal to your dad, and let him listen to it. Then, ask him to choose something you might like from his collection. Rock on!

Want to eliminate the clutter-y chaos in your crib -- and keep it that way? Give your room a good spring-cleaning! Try these tips to get motivated:

Set a Date
Set aside a full day, or even a weekend, to get the job done. Pick a date when you’ll have few distractions and no other commitments. Starting the process and then stopping to go to piano lessons or a movie with friends will leave you too distracted to focus and follow through.

Make It Fun
Get stoked in advance by making a playlist of your favorite high-energy tunes for cleaning day. Wear comfy clothes and pin your hair back, then dance around your room while you get your organizing groove on. For extra motivation, decorate your tools of the trade (bins, boxes, photo albums, and the like). Touches of personal flair will make you want to fill ’em and keep ’em organized!

Start With the Big Stuff
Make the hardest and most time-consuming tasks -- cleaning out the mound of junk under your bed, for example -- your first priority. Getting stuck organizing tiny areas won’t show much progress and will have you feeling too overwhelmed to tackle larger tasks. Once you see how much you’ve already done, it will give you the mojo to power through the smaller stuff.

Get to Organizing
De-cluttering your space is really all about sorting things out. Make piles for all your goods, laundry, put-aways and trash. For stuff you’re keeping around, make sure that even the tiniest items have a designated home to call their own. Pencils need a holder, nail polish needs a bin, magazines need a rack, CDs need a case, and so on.

Dust, Wipe and Sweep
Once all your gear is stowed away in its proper place, break out the cleaning supplies to really make your room shine. Grab a dustrag and swipe your electronics, desk, shelves and dressers. Then, wipe down other surfaces that need some extra elbow grease -- like mirrors, windows and your vanity -- with a furniture polish or glass cleaner. Lastly, vacuum or sweep your floor to pick up leftover dirt and dust.

Make It a Habit
Now that your room is tidy, it’s not too difficult to keep it that way if you hit it a little bit at a time. Write up a schedule to get you into a clean routine. Give each day of the week a to-do: Laundry should be one day, vacuuming another, and organizing another. Spreading out your tasks over time makes them manageable so you’ll actually stick to your plan. Keep it up, and you may never be stuck in a messy room again. Phew ... high-five, girl, on a job well done!

Photo Credit: @iStockphoto.com/Figure8Photos

Nobody’s perfect. In fact, you’re fine exactly the way you are! But everybody has room for improvement -- it’s a never-ending journey. Take this quiz to find out if you’re giving it your all ... or not so much.

The thought of talking to your parents can feel like torture. You’re sure you’d just die if they found out about your crush or the D+ you got on a math test -- or (yikes!) that you got your period. Whether your parents are high-strung, low-key or completely impossible to read, here are a few clever ways to tackle some tough subjects.

“I just had this killer world-cultures test … and bombed it!”

Talking With Your Parents Tip. No. 1: Stay one step ahead of ’em.

Before talking to your parents about any bad grade, it’s wise to talk to your teacher first. Will some extra credit cut it? Do you need a tutor? By attacking the problem at school before you break the news to Mom and Dad, you demonstrate that you’re accepting responsibility and willing to work toward improvement. How can your parents get angry about that? You might have flunked a test, but you’re no flunky.

“I’m crushing hard for this boy. I think he likes me, but my parents won’t even let me date.”

Talking With Your Parents Tip. No. 2: Get inside their heads.
So your parents say no dating until you’re 13, and you’re six months shy of that. Just so happens that the cutest boy in your school is into you, and you’re into him. Instead of seeing this boy behind their backs, tap into your parents’ inner teen spirit. Ask nostalgic questions: “Who was your first crush?” “Were you allowed to date?” “How did you two meet?” Then, when you feel comfortable, ’fess up about your crush. Maybe they’ll want to meet him. Maybe they’ll like him. Maybe they’ll even let you go out with him.

“I’ve gotten my period and haven’t even told my parents. I don't want to …  it’s so embarrassing!”

Talking With Your Parents Tip. No. 3: Think like a grown-up.
First off, remember that moms menstruate too. And even your dad, trust us, is at least somewhat familiar with the process. Just knowing that this is nothing new to them might help ease some of your embarrassment. Getting your period is part of nature, so keep it in perspective. Meghan, 12, says that after the initial discomfort of bringing it up, she’s so glad she can now turn to her mom with questions.

“I can’t stand my mom’s new boyfriend. How do I tell her?”

Talking With Your Parents Tip. No. 4: Don’t cop an attitude.

Whether it’s your mom or dad who’s dating, this is a tough one. You want your parent to be happy, but you’re picking up a bad vibe. Meghan says the worst way to start off is by saying, “Why are you with him?” Instead of a loaded question, ask for some one-on-one time: “I miss our movie nights together. Can we do that this weekend?” It’ll give you a chance to reconnect, and you can wait for the right moment to bring up any issues about your parent’s significant other -- if you’re still feeling that way by then.

Sure, you love to surf the Internet. But are you playing it safe? Unfortunately, a lot of creeps are crawling around on the Web, and some use sneaky tactics to exploit unsuspecting kids. Here are some Internet safety tips every girl should know.

Internet Safety Tip No. 1: Know whom you’re “talking” to online.
Whoa … a quarter of teen girls say they’ve met strangers online. Not cool! Many people online are harmless, but some are posers with fake identities who want to hurt kids. According to WiredSafety.org, 100 percent of children molested by Internet sexual predators went willingly to a meeting. They may have thought they were meeting a cute 14-year-old boy or girl.

Do not IM, text, email, video chat or agree to be a Facebook or MySpace friend with anyone you don’t know in real life -- and never meet up with someone IRL. And don’t fall for this one: “Remember me?” If you don’t know who it is, simply ignore the friend request. That’s not rude; it’s smart.

Internet Safety Tip No. 2: Never post personal info -- or pics!
Do not, under any circumstances, put your full name, address, phone number, school or any other identifying information in an email or online post. Also, be sure your social networking pages are set to “private,” and only share wall posts and photos with family and friends.

If you have pics available online, anybody in the world can make copies. Keep that in mind too when making choices about the nature of your photo self-portraits. A recent survey by TeenAngels, a cybersafety group, found that 20 percent of teens had sent a nude or seminude photo of themselves. Yikes!

Internet Safety Tip No. 3: Stay safe when online gaming.
Sure, you dodge, dart and defend your online game character … but what about protecting your real-life self? “I was playing Halo, and one day this guy asked, ‘Do you want to meet at the mall?’” says one respondent in another TeenAngels survey. Here’s a crash course in cybersafety self-defense:

• Pick a screen name that’s entirely different from your own name and last name.
• Give your character a look that isn’t provocative or sexual.
• Do not give out your email address or other personal info!
• Never meet someone offline you only “know” from gaming.
• Don’t use or encourage any inappropriate language.
• If a player makes you uncomfortable, log off. Game over.