It may sound strange but cannabis has only enhanced my parenting experience and journey. And it amazes me that I hid it for so long from so many people in my life! It’s such an amazing plant and plays such a profound role in my life and I kept that part of me hidden for years.
It was mostly due to the stigma that has always been associated with smoking weed. And because I was somebody’s mother. And a Black woman at that. It was a double-edged sword.
I knew that if people knew I regularly consumed cannabis they would begin to look at me different and judge my every move and parenting misstep.
You don’t get to have “mom fails” if you’re a known cannamom, particularly if you’re Black. But it’s perfectly acceptable if you’re a wine mom. I know because I was one for years. I had a whole blog dedicated to the suburban carpools and cocktails mom culture and that was side-eyed a little bit but still pretty accepted.
No one was judging me for wearing a “Mama Needs a Margarita” shirt to drop off but I would have definitely caused a stir rocking “First I Smoke Weed then I Do Things” shirt. Day drinking is socially acceptable, and often encouraged for moms and daily cannabis consumption should be as well.
I truly believe that and started to make it my mission to really normalize mama needs a joint over mama needing a cocktail.
Because it really does help me in my parenting journey.
Kids can be a lot and being a single mom raising two kids while working at home (even before the pandemic) is taxing. I’ve long dealt with anxiety and postpartum depression and cannabis was the one thing that helped me manage both of those things over the course of the last decade or so.
Taking time out to smoke a joint is like hitting the internal reset button and I take those few minutes to recenter myself and re-aligned mentally and spiritually and honestly that helps me be a better mom. Having a moment to breathe and center myself before delving into whatever shenanigans my kids have gotten into is a huge benefit to my role as a mom. It’s been proven that cannabis and CBD have beneficial effects to counter anxiety and depression, something a high majority of moms experience, so how can you say no to that? In my nineteen years of parenting cannabis has been hugely beneficial to being present in my children’s lives and maintaining my sanity while navigating all the ups and downs that come with having kids.
I don't sweat the small stuff as much and am able to connect with my kids on deeper levels and I'm a better parent because of it.
Taking time out for a small chronic break is sometimes just what a mama needs to reset herself and get right for the children. And that’s what I tell anyone who asks.
As the conversation surrounding cannabis went from medicinal to legal, I became less concerned with stigma and what people might think and more focused on being the best mom I can be. And that meant sharing more about my own journey and experiences.
Because the more moms know how much this plant in its many forms can help them, the better. We talk about everything else, why not this?
But I understand coming out of the cannabis closet as a mom can be terrifying if you don’t have a support system, which is why I make it my mission to advocate and educate for mindful medicating for moms and normalizing the stigma that surrounds cannabis consumption. I love sharing new products to partake in and the benefits of that use.
I was admittedly nervous the first time I publicly mentioned my cannabis use, I had always hinted at the “California life” but was never blatant. Always casually and offhand. However the more I did so, the more I had other women inquiring until I finally decided it was HIGH time to speak up and speak out. Ever since, I’ve been able to connect with even more women and work towards my mission of education, advocacy and normalization.
I’m grateful to have been consuming it for so long that it’s a part of my everyday language and routine. I make it normal and help ‘normalize’ its daily use by women everywhere by sharing my journey and speaking out on the benefits.
I've learned how to medicate mindfully and love to share what I've learned with other moms! Because of my openness I’ve found and met a lot of rad women along the way as I learn more about the plant and how it assists our lives.
We need to normalize needing a blunt or cannabis beverage the same way we normalized needing a glass of wine at the end of the day. I stand firm in that.
~ Find Amber on Instagram @fromcarpools2cocktails and @elevatedflatlays ~
