Stories for parenting teenagers
3 Buddhist wisdom stories for parenting teenagers from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- 'Ajahn Brahm said what's done is finished'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: One of the first times he told the 'what's done is finished' story, parents complained the next Sunday that they wouldn't bring their son any more. Their 16-year-old had agreed…
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not like one of the first times I told that story and just after telling that story on a Sunday a couple of parents came to complain to me so we're not going to bring our son to listen to you anymore so what did I do wrong so that story what's wrong with it I'll tell you what's wrong with it on Saturday night our 16 year old son said he was going off to a party and we told him do you remember your agreement son you say you finish your homework and only then go to the party have you finished your homework that's what they said Dad Mom just says that John Brown said what's done is finished here tomorrow got big trouble for that
- Best friends on the school busStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a bus home from teaching at a school, Ajahn Brahm sits behind two 13- or 14-year-old best friends whose whole conversation is picking faults: flat chest, no boyfriend; big…
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I was on a bus coming back from, I think was teaching at a school, coming back here. And just sitting behind two girls, maybe about 13 or 14, on the way back from school, best friends, and listening to what they were saying. I was overhearing them sitting right behind them, and listen to their conversation. I wasn't so shocked, because it reminded me of my school days, the conversation went something like you've got flat, flat breasts, you're never gonna get a boyfriend, but you got a big nose, you're not gonna get one either. And it always came picking faults in one another. And these were the best friends.
- Hands behind their backsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In his one year as a schoolteacher in Devon, walking down a narrow lane at lunchtime, he meets two sixth-formers whose hands go behind their backs — the dead giveaway of a hidden…
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for one year I was a school teacher. I remember just having a big conflict inside of myself. Should I sort of discipline those children in this school for doing things which I would have done only two or three years earlier? I remember these kids coming down, it was a nice day and I went for a walk down this lane in this uh summer time and lay off and then I saw it was lunchtime in the county of Devon. It was a beautiful day. I went down a lane and I saw a couple of the sixth formers when I was grade 12 or probably this uh the equivalent of the first year at university in Australia coming down the road. And as soon as they saw me, a teacher, their hands went behind their back. I know what that was was cuz that's what I used to do. That's when you're smoking and you're trying to hide a cigarette. A dead giveaway. And it was a narrow lane, they couldn't miss me and they couldn't turn around, so they were very, very embarrassed. And I I told them, "Look, that's not the way to hide a cigarette." But there's no way I would discipline those kids, even though it was against the school rules, because I felt being a hypocrite. I was rebelling against those rules. So why should I sort of impose those rules on others?