Because adolescent girls tend to talk so much, parents often assume that girls are easier to communicate with than boys. In reality, much of what teenage girls say is the opposite of a healthy expression of emotion--often taking the form of fighting, brooding hostility, or, at times, over involvement.

While recent bestsellers such as Queen Bees and Odd Girl Out explore the social and psychological pressures that inform teenage girls' behaviour, they provide little or no guidance on how to manage the communication problems that develop between parents and their daughters.