I feel a bit daft writing this but it does cut me up!
My daughter's nearly 16 and we get along fine. Sometimes we'll chat for a while, other times she keeps herself to herself. Deep stuff is reserved for friends but we do talk about periods, plans for the future, celebs etc
Anyway, that's just to explain that we do have a good relationship and I guess she's always been more about me than her father, but they do get on really well and in fact watch football on TV together- which I can't even pretend to be interested in!
Couple of things- the first was she preferred to sit next to her dad on a flight because I'll "only talk and talk"- it would have been a given previously that she'd want to sit next to me; the second is that she'd rather attend a 6th form open evening with her dad because I'll "be trying to talk to her friend and her friend's mum, dad'll leave them alone"- even though I'm the one she's been discussing her 6th form options with.
I know it's not a competition between her dad and me and I love that they have the football thing, but this hurts as it's new.
Obviously I don't tell her that.
Is it common for teen girls to gravitate more towards their fathers than their mothers, at least more than before? I have a very fraught relationship with my own mother and I think I'm terrified of it going the same way. I'm also very sensitive and bruise easily!! I'm a first-born, what can I say.
I have an 18 year son and he's far too diplomatic to show any preference as to which parent's company he'd want! Ironically I suspect he'd often prefer his dad's and that doesn't bother me, I get it.