When it comes to mothers and teen daughters, you can bet there are conflicts about hair, friends and messy bedrooms! How can two people who love each other (admit it!) disagree so much?

Until recently, Laura, 13, felt she could confide in her mom about anything -- boys, grades, her period, whatever. She loved just hanging out with her. But lately, Laura admits, being around her mom is…stressful. “My mom always asks questions, like a detective. I feel she doesn't trust me anymore. She’s always criticizing me!”

Laura's mom sees it differently: “My daughter used to run into the house after school to tell me about her day. Now, I have to prod to have a conversation, or I wouldn’t know anything. I ask about her life because I love her. It’s not criticism.”

Truth is, you will wake up one day (maybe many years from now) and wish for a fab relationship with your mom. It helps to lay some groundwork now.

1. Make it a movie night Kick it on the couch with some popcorn and watch a flick with Mom! Movies are great equalizers because you don’t have to talk, yet there’s something intimate about it. Choose a light comedy -- nothing too heavy unless you want to end up in a too-deep convo.

2. Hit the mall Shopping is another good equalizer. Have fun trying on funky clothes together. Ask her opinion about a pair of jeans and help her update her style. You’ll be surprised at how much enjoyment you’ll get out of it -- not to mention those mad boots you’ve been wanting!

3. Say it in a card Having a hard time expressing your feelings? It’s often difficult to communicate face to face. Whether you have a gripe or just want to tell her you love her, write a note. Leave it on her pillow or in the car. She’ll get the message!

4. Help out Just like you, she goes through crazy times. Does she work all day and come home to a mess of chores? Lend a hand. No need to scrub floors, but a little effort goes a long way. Straighten your room, empty the dishwasher or do your laundry -- without being asked!

There is a recent rise in girl-on-girl physical violence, but most girl bullies use smack talk to intimidate their victims -- and they even take their smear campaigns online for widespread humiliation.

Here, we point out a bully’s weak spots so you can see straight through that plastic Queen of Mean mask she’s hiding behind.

Secret No. 1: “I don’t like myself nearly as much as I pretend to.”
A bully seems to be rocking so much confidence, but the truth is that she doesn’t feel so great about herself. “Bullies empower themselves by picking on others because they actually may have low self-esteem,” says Kelsey Ann Jackson, 17, founder of Mean Girls Aren’t Cool, a female bullying education and prevention program.

Secret No. 2: “Often, I pick on the girls I envy the most.”
Kelsey was bullied from 9 to 14 years old. “They called me names and started rumors. I never got to eat at the same lunch table or go to sleepover parties. They excluded me, and I think they were jealous. I’m a singer, so maybe they were jealous that I got to sing and go to places where they couldn’t go.”

Secret No. 3: “There’s probably something icky in my life you don’t know about.”
Many girls who bully might have issues at home that cause them to lash out. Says Kelsey: “The main girl who bullied me -- I call her the ‘queen bee’ -- was a popular girl with money and good grades and nice clothes. But maybe she just didn’t really feel special, because she came from a family with a lot of girls, and she was the middle child. I don’t think she should resort to treating other girls the way she did.”

Secret No. 4: “I feel better about my behavior when others girls go along with it.”
“The ‘queen bee’ always got other girls to do her dirty work for her,” says Kelsey. “There were about five of them, and they followed her lead because they wanted to be in the popular clique.” But just as mean girls band together, so can the nice girls. “If you see a friend being bullied, stick up for her,” advises Kelsey. “Put the bully in the spotlight, and make someone aware of what’s going on. Tell a parent or teacher and get help.”

Baby-sitting is one of the best summer jobs out there! But entertaining the kids can be a real drag when they’re bored and you can’t think of a thing to do. Try these fun activities -- and remember how cool it is to be a kid!

Kids’ Choice Awards
Wanna get on the kids’ good sides right away? Ask them to show you their fave toys, games and books … but do it like a red carpet–worthy awards ceremony! Have the kids announce their Best Activity That Involves a Paintbrush and Favorite Fairy Tale of All Time. It’s a fun way to find out what the kids are into and to seal the friendship.

Bag of Tricks
When your charges get tired of playing with their toys, whip something out of your own bag of goodies. Fill a cute tote with stuff from around your house, such as your brother’s old remote-controlled dinosaur or your My Little Pony collection.

Wear ’em Out!
Bring a few old pieces from Halloween costumes, like a plastic mask or feather boa, and play dress-up. Be sure to deck out all glitz-and-glam when conducting your fancy awards ceremony. (See our first idea above.)

Dance the Night Away
Put together a baby-sitting playlist on your iPod, and you and the kids can have a mini dance party! Just call it your secret weapon of mass fun-dom.

Which … Craft?
Break out the craft supplies! Here’s an idea: See how many alien characters the kids can make with various types of uncooked pasta, glitter and tacky glue. Just try to keep it on the less-messy end of the art spectrum by putting newspaper down on the work surface first and being sure to clean up afterward. (No one wants angry parents at the end of the night!)

Play With Your Food!
Continue the creativity into snack time! Turn gummy fruit bits into edible sculptures by molding them between your fingers (clean hands, please!). Record your creations on a digital camera for keeps.

Silly Story Time
Help out a kid who’s learning to read, and let her practice with you. Step it up a notch by having everyone make a funny voice for each character. Hit up the library before your baby-sitting gig, and show the kids that reading is fun!

All your girls have boyfriends, and you keep thinking about how things would be way more fun if you had a BF too. Stop that! Being single means you have way more chances for fun than your attached friends. Don’t believe us? Just in case you have your doubts, here are some reminders about why being single rocks.

Make friends with the boyfriends’ friends.
There are limitless opps to hang out in a group together. Stuff like bowling is way more fun with lots of people. And if your friends’ BFs are awesome, that means their buddies probably are too. How lucky you are to get a chance to get to know some of these guys on a casual level, without the pressure of dating. And what an awesome way to expand your group of friends!

Stay outside of boyfriend drama.
OK, maybe there’s a little seepage from your friends’ boyfriend dramas. But you won’t have to deal with your own BF drama. Get in a fight over going to see the new chick flick instead of the latest alien robot action thriller? Not a chance! You’re your own movie-selection-making machine.

Have girl-only time, all the time!
There’s a reason why “girl time” is considered to be awesome. Because it is! You can only talk about Zac Efron’s dreamy eyes for so long before a boy will change the subject to how many zombies he’s killed in some mindless video game. But be gentle when asking your attached friends for some time with them. Go for, “I’m dying to see The Lucky One. You in for a girls’ night?” Not, “Can we do something without your boyfriend for once?”

Hang out with whatever guy friends you want.
Boyfriends get jealous sometimes. Should they? We don’t think so. But at least when you’re single, you don’t have to worry about someone getting upset over your splitting an ice-cream sundae with a guy friend.

Have more time to be there for your friends.
No worrying about dealing with a peeved boyfriend when you have to cancel plans at the last minute because a friend needs help with her homework or just wants you to come over and bake cupcakes. And who’s she gonna turn to when she has an extra concert ticket because she and her BF are on the outs? Her single friend, of course! Hey, duty calls.

Appreciate the quality of your friendships.
Sure, you have occasional spats with your BFFs. But the truth is that friendships survive a lot more tough stuff than romantic relationships. Years down the road, you’re going to be thankful for all the friendships you had -- not all your boyfriend breakups. Being single gives you way more time to work on those friendships you’re going to treasure for the rest of your life.

Enjoy your alone time.
Being alone gets a bad rap, but it shouldn’t. There’s a lot to be gained in having some quiet time to reflect and get acquainted with your true self! So when all of your friends are out doing the couples thing, be grateful for your personal freedom. Break out the rollerblades and take a spin around the neighborhood, or lock yourself in your bedroom to perfect those cute nail art designs.

BFF breakups hurt, we know. But here are our 10 commandments on how to make the ending of a friendship as ouch-free as possible.

1. Thou shalt not talk trash.
Ranting about someone is kind of like eating a whole bag of potato chips: You end up feeling bad, no matter how satisfying it seems in the moment. It’s better to play it cool and keep your lips zipped.

2. Thou shalt not text her.
Do not, we repeat, do not pick up the phone! Anything you say right now -- mean or nice -- will backfire since you’re both still recovering from the fallout of your fight.

3. Thou shalt not beat yourself up.
You’ll only drive yourself crazy thinking about where you went wrong. The fact is that any conflict between two people is always about … two people. So don’t even think about blaming yourself for how things played out.

4. Thou shalt not stalk her Facebook page.
Seeing her latest status update will so not help you move on. While we don’t recommend unfriending her (that’s just petty), think about logging off of Facebook for a week or two so you aren’t tempted to check her profile.

5. Thou shalt hang out with other friends.
Call one of your other leading ladies and clock some quality time together. The more fun things you do with other people, the less you’ll ruminate about your ex-BFF.

6. Thou shalt make your journal your new best friend.
Writing about how this friendship drama makes you feel can help you sort through all those tough emotions and make you feel better about where you are.

7. Thou shalt let yourself mope a little.
It’s OK to get a little emo. Watch sad movies, stay in your PJs and eat ice cream straight out of the carton. Just don’t wallow too long; the idea is to get the blues out of your system, not to end up in a long-term funk.

8. Thou shalt put yourself first.
When you’re tight with a friend, you often spend a lot of time focusing on what she wants to do. Now’s the time to think about what you really love: Been a while since you picked up a paintbrush or played soccer? Do that, stat!

9. Thou shalt remember that she’s hurting too.
Make no mistake: This is a rocky time for her also. Remembering that this is as tough for her as it is for you can help you move from depression to compassion.

10. Thou shalt pamper yourself.
You’ve gone through some tough stuff lately, so take a bubble bath, paint your nails purple, or do whatever else makes you feel relaxed and amazing. You deserve it!