Hi there.
I know that my 13 year old daughter is really not that bad, she argues and back chats constantly but I try to stay grounded and not give in and hope that this phase calms down. However, her dad usually yells back and it ends up in a total row with doors slamming (and not just my daughter!) and all of us getting upset. He has such a short fuse that he will yell at her for not moving fast enough when she has been asked to do something.

He is under alot of stress at work, but has been for a long time. I keep telling myself that it will get better but it never does. When I talk to him he tells me that if she just behaved herself he wouldnt have to shout. I love him very much but we really cant carry on like this and he just doesnt seem to understand how much it hurts me and Heather. He also says that I'm not tough enough and I'm not giving him any support which really really hurts!

Sorry for waffling. I think what I really need is some advice on controlling Heather's backchat, and how to approach my husband without it sounding like I'm blaming him.

Thanks
Sarah