There is no denying that being a parent is stressful; you have a small, very demanding person who craves your attention almost constantly, and, in many cases, they can’t express what they need in a way we understand.
How can you tell the difference between, for example, a baby’s hungry cry and a baby’s sleepy cry?
"I was actually sort of a better parent [when I was] stoned"
It can cause many mums and dads to feel as if they’re burning out - so how do you overcome those feelings of stress?
Well, for mum Lea Grover, she uses marijuana to help her deal with her parenthood-induced anxiety.
Speaking frankly with Cosmopolitan USA, she explained: “I was home alone with my 1-year-old twins. I was exhausted. One daughter was crying, and I didn't know why. The other kept laughing, which for some reason made it worse.
“For the first time since becoming pregnant, for the first time in years, I opened up my stash box and hid in the bathroom to smoke a little pot.”
She continued: “When I went back to change my daughters' diapers, something was different. I was different.
“I realised I was actually sort of a better parent [when I was] stoned.”
Lea went on to explain that she only ever needs ‘two puffs’ to feel more relaxed, insisting that she feels as if she can handle her role as a mum more successfully when she is high.
She said firmly: “I say yes to more requests for childhood fun. To baking cookies, craft projects, trips to the park, board games, fashion shows … any of the things that under normal circumstances make my shoulders tense up as I contemplate inevitable messes and tantrums.
“When I'm a little stoned, there are no fights.
“Sometimes I smoke marijuana so I can be a better parent to them, because they deserve my best.”
And it seems as if evidence could support Lea’s decision to self-medicate her anxiety.
“Sometimes I smoke marijuana so I can be a better parent to them, because they deserve my best"
David Code, who wrote the book Kids Pick Up On Everything: How Parental Stress Is Toxic To Kids, has revealed that a parent’s stress level can affect a child’s very makeup, including his or her risk of mood disorders, addiction, and even disorders like ADHD and autism.
Many psychiatrists busting stress by meeting up with other mums for a chat, getting more sleep, cutting down on caffeine, meditating, exercising, or writing your worries down.
A new study has shown that marijuana by scientists at Vanderbilt University has highlighted marijuana’s potential anxiety relief effects; however they did add that it all depends on the individual using the drug, as each person reacts differently to it.
You can read Lea Glover’s full article over at Cosmopolitan USA now.