Parenting Has Gone to Pot: Why So Many Moms Are Getting High (Including Me!)

I knew I was buzzed when my partner walked in the bedroom and asked me why I was watching the highly annoying animated kid’s show, Peppa the Pig. Truth be told, I was indeed buzzed. Not only was Peppa the Damn Pig pretty damn entertaining after a couple hits of a joint, but I was watching Peppa the Pig alone, since the kids had been sent off to their grandparents for a sleepover.

Don’t seem shocked that I fully admit that I’m a recreational pot smoker and also a mother. In fact, these days, I can’t seem to hook up with any of my mommy friends without at least one of them pulling out a joint. A couple of weeks ago, for example, I got together with a few girlfriends for a girl’s night in. My friend’s kids were home, and she had just put them to bed, then immediately came outside and started rolling a joint. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. Moms. Took. A. Toke. (Or two!)

One of my mommy friends that night said, ‘Parenting on pot is THE only way to parent these days.’ I think she was joking, but I’m not entirely sure.

I couldn’t help but laugh, not because I was buzzed, but because, truthfully, I can think of a number of occasions where smoking pot would, and does, make parenting a hell of a lot more fun. Lining up car toys for hours sober? Not fun. Lining up toy cars after a hit of a joint? Fun! Plus, I’m more patient after a couple hits, and maybe even a better parent because, after a couple of tokes, I can forget about my stressful day and just enjoy watching Lego Batman for the 1857th time. I think my son prefers giggly mom to grouchy mom. I prefer giggly mom to grouchy mom.

Recently I read about a new survey in this article entitled, ‘Your Parents Are Probably Smoking Weed.’ According to a survey of 1,122 Americans conducted by Yahoo News and Marist College, “65 percent of the people who have ever tried cannabis are parents, and of those who currently use weed, parents make up 54 percent. More than half of this group have kids under age 18. Another survey of 10,000 California cannabis consumers conducted by Eaze Insights found that 63 percent of parents who consume cannabis do so daily, with many simply reserving a puff or two for the end of the evening after the kids are in bed.”

I know. I know. How can you possibly be a good parent with a little buzz on? Well, I know a ton of mothers who come home from work and pour themselves a glass of wine, which turns into two, which turns into half the bottle. Are they not buzzed?

As the survey also says, “Seventy-nine percent of the folks surveyed by Yahoo said they would have less respect for a parent who got high in front of their kid. But many of these same people would think nothing of drinking wine or beer in front of their children, let alone of being a little buzzed while parenting.”

Another recent article on Today.com titled ‘Marijuana Moms’ Say Smoking Pot Makes Them Better Parents, delves into the topic of mothers who make pot smoking part of their daily lives. “Kaycee Bawdon is out to show that smoking marijuana while taking care of children is perfectly acceptable,” the article begins. It continues, “When the mother of four from central California gets together for a playdate with other moms, they often enjoy some herbal refreshment while kids frolic in the yard nearby. Whether it’s smoking from a bong or lighting a joint, these moms make marijuana a regular part of their lives. Mommy needs a joint just as much as mommy needs a glass of wine,” Bawdon told Maria Shriver on TODAY. “You can still be a good parent and use marijuana at the same time.”

Bawdon and her friends believe marijuana helps treat pain and depression and also helps them relax and boosts their productivity. (Recreational pot use is legal in California as it will be in Canada next year.) The best quotes from the article on the ‘high’ life of moms? “I can smoke it and go clean my whole house and do all my laundry and just get everything done,” one mother said. Another mom? “I feel like I am actually more focused and attentive while I am medicated, it kind of gives me that spruce of energy that I don’t have.” Bawdon says she feels that, “People think that marijuana makes you lazy, that you’re just gonna sit on the couch and kinda let life pass you by and let your kids pass you by… And it doesn’t. I’m out there, playing with my kids, and we’re just that normal family.”

Make no mistake – I do not smoke pot in front of my children. In my opinion, that would be an idiotic thing to do, yet no one thinks twice about moms who drink in front of their kids. Just sayin!’

One evening, when the kiddos were asleep, I decided to take the dog for a walk. Now, ‘taking the dog for a walk,’ means, Rebecca is going to smoke a joint tonight. I was mortified when two neighbours who knew me from Facebook decided to introduce themselves to me that night, as my joint was lit. I quickly hid the joint behind my back, but boy did I feel judged and embarrassed, because hiding the smell of pot is practically impossible. I didn’t know whether to offer them a puff or if I should move into a different neighbourhood. These days, you just don’t know who smokes up and who doesn’t.

But I can tell you that getting weed has never been easier.

I went to visit my doctor just over a year ago, when my stress level was at an all time high  (no pun intended!) and I hadn’t slept in days. My doctor suggested that I go to a legal medical marijuana clinic and sent in the requisition. Within a week, I had an appointment at the clinic where I was prescribed pot to help me sleep. Within two weeks, there was a package of pot on my doorstep.

I didn’t go back, not because I found that the pot didn’t help me sleep, but because almost every one of my friends has a stash of weed stashed in their homes high up (no pun intended… again) where their children can’t reach it.

At the very least, most parents really do need a break from parenting, or life, and need something that helps them relax. There are also mothers who are cancer patients or suffering from an autoimmune disease, or even migraines, and smoking pot helps them be a better parent. Sometimes, even I’m shocked at some of the moms I know who smoke up. By day they are supermoms, driving their kids to their many activities and appointments, making breakfasts, lunches and dinners. By night, after the kids are in bed, they are recreational pot smokers.

But kids aren’t stupid. My thirteen year-old daughter already knows what pot smells like. She’s never asked me if I smoke pot, and I’m not about to tell her. I reserve my pot smoking for after the kids are in bed, or are away. Mostly.

So, yes, more than ever moms are admitting that they like to get high, even though many medical experts disagree about smoking weed if you are a parent. In any case, these days, you don’t have to look further than your mommy friends if indeed you want to smoke up.

So… what do you think of this new Mommy Mile High Club?