I am learning firsthand the unbelievable pull toward moodiness during the older tween and younger teen years. When I read the questions on page 148 I felt like they were a great evaluation of my oldest son! I’ll be going through this soon enough with the next two also!
Take charge of that situation before it becomes a habit. Negative emotions are habit-forming if we don’t put a stop to them by praying for our children to be overtaken by a spirit of joy.
I have to admit that I find myself continually telling my oldest to kick his bad attitude out the door (sometimes literally heehee). Think about it, when you see a pre-teen, or teen that is down-in-the-mouth or well . . . glaring, it is frankly repulsive. I even sometimes find it intimidating and almost frightening – not with my son thankfully, but still. . .
I actually hadn’t considered the habit forming tendencies of negativity, depression and moodiness and this was an excellent reminder! I will definitely be praying for my sons to be blessed with a joyful heart and countenance!