What to Do When Your Teenager Catches You . . . High

Getting caught being high is usually a humorous event, except on three occasions. One of those includes being discovered by your teenager. 

This post will serve you through that very embarrassing moment. At the very least, It will be a reminder to you someone else has gone through getting caught by a teenager too.

One night the moon was so beautiful I decided to take a walk down to my favorite spot for a little relaxation. On the way home I saw my teenage son, tall and bouncy heading my direction. I have a method for dealing with sudden surprises which I put into use as soon as he came into sight. 

He wanted a ride to watch the school football game. We walked home and he followed me inside the house so I could grab my keys and give him a ride. Usually, he’s watching some weird video or sending a text to his girlfriend. But on this day he was staring at my eyes. 

“What’s up”? I asked.  

That’s when he dropped a heavy bomb of embarrassment… 

“Mom, what was that smoky smell? Is that . . . weed? Are you. . .high” 

In the chance, your curious teenager asks you this question, here’s what went on in my mind on that dreadful day . . .

• DENY, Deny, deny. No, it is not weed. Of course, I’m not high. What kind of person gets high? It works. But it leaves your teenager vulnerable. He’s been thrown off from his instinct. And now, he’s never going to know what really good weed smells like because you’ve just told him that smell is not weed. Poor kid will think the smell of swag is weed. 

• Give them the Lecture. For this, you’ll have to try to behave in a serious manner similar to a teacher or a nun. “Adults use cannabis for medical treatment purposes. In 1939 the United Nations put marijuana on the most restricted list. . .and so forth.  – Close with a piece of firm advice. “You can’t try it until you’re an adult.” There are a plethora of medical reasons why a kid should NOT ingest marijuana. Brain development is one very important one. You can refer to these scholarly articles to backup your insistence they never try cannabis until they are the adult legal age. 

• Punish them. Show your guilt and dominance by sending them to their room and taking away their phone. This ought to show the kid people who are high are total A-holes.  They’ll vow never to touch the stuff because the way you are is what they never want to be. Ever!

• Lighten up. I don’t mean smoke a joint I mean get real. Your kids have a decent amount of knowledge from online videos and chats. They know medical marijuana is out there.  They just may be surprised their perfect mother or father takes a puff of the green stuff.  To help ease the surprise, you could tell them the reason why you use marijuana or how the neighbor shared her stash. 

Personally, I denied the whole thing.                                                                        I meant to have some sort of marijuana coming out conversation later that week but never did. I’m waiting on the day when we’re both ready. Until then I just try to be the most supportive and loving parent I can be.