# Monk uncle spoils the brother's parenting lecture

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-monk-uncle-spoils-brothers-kids
- Themes: family, parenting, honesty, humour
- Life situations: parenting lectures, family reunions

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Visiting as 'monk uncle', Brahm's niece and nephews ask what Dad was like young; he starts listing his brother's childhood misdeeds. The brother walks in furious — he is trying to tell the kids to be good, and Brahm is proving Dad never did any of it.

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

they called me? Of course, they called me monk uncle. Come here, uncle. You should've heard that one before. An uncle who's a monk becomes monk uncle. [snorts] So, anyway, and my I don't know what my brother was up to, but I was talking to my niece and nephews. They were about 10 or 11 or 12 at the time. And they said, "Oh, what was What was our dad like when he was young?" You know, cuz I was his younger brother. "Oh, you know, this is what he did." And and I told I started telling him all the bad things which my my brother did when he was young. And that's when my brother came in. He said, "You know, brother, what are you telling my kids? I'm trying to tell them to be good and you're spoiling it all by saying that what I'm telling to do, I never did when I was a young man

## Teaching point

Honest family history undercuts the myth that only today's kids are bad.

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

Visiting as 'monk uncle', Ajahn Brahm cheerfully told his niece and nephew about their dad's childhood mischief, until his brother stormed in: I'm trying to teach them to be good. Honesty helps. Kids do listen, just differently. Stop assuming the young are worse than we were.

## Source

- [Transcending Negativity of Our World | Ajahn Brahm | 12 April 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8WL9MQss2o) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:38 to 15:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8WL9MQss2o&t=878s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Friday Night Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 12 April 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuRAcMjVqgs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 54:39 to 55:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuRAcMjVqgs&t=3279s