I guess you could say I was known to take a few hits back in high school and college. (No mom, I’m not talking about boxing. Actually, who am I kidding? She was well aware of my antics!) While I have nothing against indulging in some marijuana as an adult, as a mom of three young kids, smoking up is something that had long been out of my repertoire. I do still like to enjoy a few glasses of wine or a martini or two on a Saturday night. But I left my Mary Jane days behind when I became a mom. (Except for that New Years when we went out with some friends, all got way too stoned, and spent pretty much the entire dinner in silence. But I digress.)

Marijuana still has a stigma attached to it. No one bats an eyelash if I have a glass of wine with dinner. It’s no big deal when my husband comes home and pops open a beer. But mention the word “pot,” and in come the judgments.

I didn’t set out to start smoking weed, but stress had gotten the best of me. Sleep was becoming more and more difficult. I would love to blame it on the kids, but my kids are all rockstar sleepers. I’m talking all three kids, 11-12 hours a night, every night. So it wasn’t them. It was me. I just couldn’t wind down. I would get into bed early, yet it would take me hours to fall asleep. On top of that, I would wake throughout the night and then have difficulty falling back to sleep, making the next day a total nightmare.

So while my three kids slept soundly — every parent’s dream — I watched the clock change from p.m. to a.m. I calculated multiple times each night, “If I fall asleep now, I will still get X hours of sleep.” I tried Tylenol PM and Benadryl, and at one point my doctor prescribed Ambien. But it wasn’t until I started sparking up like my high school self that I began to feel more rested. And let me just tell you — if you want to feel old, try getting high. Gone are the days of rolling a joint. In its place are edibles and cannabis oils.

Now before you get yourself all in a huff, I never smoke around the kids, and everything is kept well out of reach. And since we live in Massachusetts, it is completely legal to get a medical marijuana card from a specialized doctor. Each night, I simply take a hit or two to relax me, which helps me fall asleep at a reasonable hour. If I wake during the night — which I don’t nearly as often as I used to — one more hit and I’m back to sleep.

Judge me if you must, but remember: While you’re up critiquing my choices, I’ll be soundly sleeping for the next eight hours!

2 COMMENTS

  1. I loved this article! No judging here. I can’t wait for South Carolina to legalize medical marijuana.

  2. Yes!! Love this. Its time to talk more about the benefits of MJ. And by the way, I totally want to hang out with you!!

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