Pot Smoking and Children

Babble has an interesting column on pot smoking and dealing with your children.

The writer talks about her shitty day and how her toddler frayed her last nerve. So she heads to the mall and before putting the kid in the stroller takes a hit or two. I liked the article. For me personally I could not smoke pot and deal with my boy. I would be too afraid that the one time I took a hit too many Spotty will crack his head open/loose consciousness, break a bone or two and I will not be able to function the way I should. Now that’s me. I am not saying that anyone that has ever toked a few and then dealt with their child should be shot. I am of the belief that smoking pot and drinking are pretty much the same in terms of effects it has on folks. Well, on most folks. Alcohol makes some of us violent, mean and ugly. Which is why some of us no longer drink. I have never seen pot make anyone violent, mean and ugly. Stupid, hungry and sleepy, but not so much on the violent side. This is not to say that I condone heavy drug abuse around children. I worked for several years in a group home for emotionally disturbed boys and I saw first hand what heavy drug use in the home can do to a child. But that is not what the article is about. In fact the author was trying to remind folks that you need to remember you child is a child and try getting down on his level and see the world the way they see it. The comments as you would expect were hot and heavy. With the folks who have never done drugs ready to call in the police and publicly flog the mother. Folks that may have been around the block once or twice seems a bit more level headed in their comments and reasons behind them. I did take exception to one comment made that “you knew it would be hard and what you were getting into when you became a parent” and I have to say BULLSHIT. People tell you it’s hard, that kids can be trying, or that they will drive you crazy, but until you have gone through the process and actually had your child and then spent some time with them. You have no friggen idea what it’s going to be like. You may have had thoughts, wishes on how it might be, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for the reality that is parenthood.