Moody Maddie

Maddie's brother Jason came into the kitchen wearing a frown. "I just met a grizzly bear!" he told his mom as he poured himself some cereal. "Maddie sure is grumpy." Just then there was a knock at the door. "It's for Grizzly," Jason muttered, seeing one of Maddie's friends through the window. He called for his sister. Maddie came out of her room and scowled at him. "You could have answered the door," she hissed. She pulled the front door open. "Hey, Claire!" she said, smiling.After Maddie and Claire left for school, Jason shook his head. "How can she be so grumpy one minute and so happy the next? She sure is moody!" A few days later, Maddie hummed happily as she helped her dad get the grill ready for hamburgers. But when her little sister wanted to help, Maddie angrily shooed her away. Then she checked the grill. "The fire is out," she said and picked up the fuel starter. "I'll squirt some of this on the coals." "No, don't!" Dad called out, but he was too late. Maddie was tipping the starter can over the hot coals. Immediately, flames shot up at her. "Oh!" Maddie exclaimed, jumping back. Dad grabbed her. "Are you okay, Maddie?"She nodded nervously. "I didn't expect that! The fire was out!" "You know, honey," Dad said as he flipped hamburgers a few minutes later, "these hot coals remind me of you lately. You're calm one minute and blowing up at someone the next." Maddie's face flushed. "I…I am?"Dad nodded. "And the person you snap at doesn't expect it. Just like you jumped to get away from that fire, your moodiness makes people want to avoid you.""Oh." Maddie sighed. "So what should I do?""Well, first you need to remember that Jesus has given you the Holy Spirit so that you can respond to others in love. Trust Him to help you be more even-tempered. Then think about whether there's something you need to talk to someone about. Sometimes, when something is bothering us, it can cause us to have mood swings. Your mom and I are always here to help, and so are the counselors at your school. And you can talk to Jesus about it too." Maddie nodded. "Okay, Dad." She gave him a small smile. "I'll do that."-Sara L. Nelson