A while back, I was standing in line to go through airport security when a woman next to me pulled a laptop out of her bag … and proceeded to drop it right onto my big toe.

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

Now, it was clearly an accident. But man, did it hurt! I was hobbling around the airport, limping from place to place. I must have looked pathetic.

Later that day, though, I noticed some interesting things. My food didn’t taste as good. Important meetings suddenly seemed irrelevant. I felt angry instead of happy. In short, the pain had completely consumed my outlook.

Is your teen always angry or easily irritated? Maybe his unpleasant moods are the effect of pain in his life. Dig a little deeper. Discover the root cause. Some day … he’ll thank you.