The Many Faces of Maternal Cannabis Use

Last month I introduced my Meet a Stoner Mom series, by featuring my wonderful BFF. In that post I did warn you guys that the second featured mom would be me. I swear I am not a narcissist, I just feel like I should have a post somewhere where I answer these questions that I’m posing to you guys! It seems only fair to me.

The good news is, I got great submissions from you wonderful readers and have my stoner parents for the next few months lined up. If you would like to be featured, see the instructions at the end of this post.

How many kids and how old are they? 

My daughters are nine and six! I also have two lovely step-children, aged 9 and 4.

Why do you use cannabis? 

I’ve struggled with a major depressive and anxiety disorder for many years. This manifests as anger, tenseness, supreme lack of confidence, terror and normal physical symptoms associated with stress (tummy issues, barfing and yo-yo weight). This makes me an awful mother and wife. No one wants a mother who is tense and angry all the time.

I use Cannabis in addition to my SSRI’s to keep myself level-headed, mindful, appreciative and gentle. After a bunch of personal research and through trial and error, I have figured out the right amounts and strains of cannabis to effectively treat my depression and anxiety. Cannabis has changed my mental well-being, my outlook on life, and the way I handle the ongoing daily stresses of motherhood.

Since I have become a stoner mom I have become a more patient mom. I’ve become more dedicated and more observant. My kids and step-kids see a mom who laughs at the small stuff, who looks for the bright-side, and who doesn’t scare them with petty frustrations. These are all reason enough for me to use cannabis.

I also use it for typical pain problems, sleep when it’s hard to find, and to settle my often queasy stomach. It also helps me through colds and stomach bugs.

Finally, I use cannabis as one might use a glass of wine; to loosen up at the end of the day and get intimate with my spouse.

What does a typical stoner day schedule look like for you? ie, what is your stoner schedule?

Because I share custody with my daughters dad, I have weekends 100% off kid duty. This allows me the luxury to get stoned all hours of the day during the weekends. So on those two days I live in my bed and work hard on my business all while being stoned to the bone.

During the five days of the week when I have children I usually wake and bake a couple of hours after dropping the kids off at school. I am careful about the strains I use during the day and always have a strong understanding of how cannabis is going to effect me. I choose high-energy sativa strains that motivate and inspire me, usually around 10 am. For the following couple hours I am “high-functioning” stoned. Whether I am marathon cleaning or powering through ‘work’ work, cannabis is that instant motivator and mood boost that you don’t get with the regular anti-depressant regiment.

How open are you about cannabis with your kids? 

Right now I am admittedly not very open about it with my kids, but I think those days are fast ending. My oldest at nine understands loose concepts of “drugs” and “addiction” and also understands alcohol and cannabis being a privilege for adults, like guns, voting and driving. These are luxuries we are afforded but must take care not to abuse.

Because I am “The Stoner Mom” and am seeing the impact I have on like-minded grown-ups, I feel like I am going to have to give my oldest daughter a more thorough explanation pretty soon. She knows I’m a YouTuber and thinks it’s so cool I have subscribers, but she also knows my show is for grown-ups only. As do most parents, I have strict settings in place on YouTube for both of my daughters.

I have told her that I am building a brand around helping other parents be the best parents they can be, and that’s why I have a blog and a YouTube Channel. When I am ready I will explain the connection between cannabis the substance she knows a tiny amount about, and her mothers business. She just turned nine, so I figure I have a good 6 months to prepare for this terrifying conversation. I think it will take place in the summer.

I hope you guys enjoyed my answers. As always, my intent here is to shed some of the negative stereotypes attributed to all cannabis users, and to give stoner parents a public face and voice for responsible cannabis use.

Want to be featured as the next Stoner Mom?

Fill out this contact form! We’ll be in touch if you are selected! When answering feel free to be as vague or as detailed as you feel comfortable. You do not have to use a real name and you may use a picture with an obscured face, as long as it is you.

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