# Meditating mum — knife and gas threats

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-meditating-mum-kids-knife-gas
- Themes: parenting, meditation, humour, boundaries
- Life situations: parenting, home

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Armadale Tuesday-night mum of a four- and six-year-old sits anyway. Kids climb, demand water, pull hair; then escalate: Johnny has a kitchen knife, Julianne turned on the gas. She keeps sitting — 'blow up the house, I'm meditating.' After 15–20 minutes the kids are quietly playing; from then on mummy's sit means leave her alone.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I am going to meditate no matter what and of course what happened as soon as she sat down I think she had about four-year-old and a six-year-old kid they started climbing all over her mommy mommy mommy I need to go we Mommy Mommy Mommy I need glass of water but she said no I deserve my peace so she did not react or move and then they started pulling her hair again she just took it and did not react at all so then the two kids decided to get serious one of them said Mommy Mommy Johnny has got a knife out of the kitchen drawer Mommy Mommy Julianne has turned on the gas but I really admire that W she said I don't care you can kill yourself if you like blow up the house I'm meditatin

## Teaching point

Fear that the world will collapse often stops the short retreats that keep the world safe.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A mother of two small children kept meditating while they climbed on her and invented ever wilder emergencies. Twenty minutes later, they were playing quietly, and from then on Mummy's sitting time was respected. Keep children safe, of course. But fear that everything will collapse often stops us taking the short rests we need.

## Source

- [Taking time to retreat | Ajahn Brahm | 27 July 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eKXvfsezQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 8:05 to 9:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eKXvfsezQ&t=485s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 30 May 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPOQyhkF1vU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:13:48 to 1:16:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPOQyhkF1vU&t=4428s
- [Factors of Enlightenment | Ajahn Brahm | 3 July 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMrqHgqN_vQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:14:35 to 1:15:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMrqHgqN_vQ&t=4475s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 9 December](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82qdpTxMmYw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:57 to 7:34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82qdpTxMmYw&t=357s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 May 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTaZdI7OXSo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 6:29 to 8:37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTaZdI7OXSo&t=389s