A young mom has been praised for opening up about her nightly pre-bed recreational marijuana habit, as other parents say they too think smoking weed to relax is just as acceptable as drinking wine.
Mom-of-two Caitlin Fladager lives in Vancouver, Canada, where recreational and medicinal marijuana use is legal. In a recent Instagram post, she put it to her 286,000 followers: ‘It’s okay to smoke weed after your kids go to bed.’
Caitlin, 23, added that by smoking each night, she has come off her antidepressants, added some weight to her previously ‘underweight’ frame and can now sleep better. Her ultimate point? ‘You can still be a kick a** mom, and smoke weed.’
Honest: Young mom Caitlin Fladager from Vancouver started a conversation among other moms who advocate for smoking weed to help their mental health
Family: Caitlin, 23, has gained a large following online as she talks about the realities of being a young stay-at-home mom to Jack, four, and Adriana, six
Husband: Caitlin has two children with her childhood sweetheart husband Noah, pictured
Caitlin also said: ‘Marijuana is my glass of wine. It’s my can of beer. It’s my relaxation time.’
She stated that she thought it was ‘funny’ how frowned upon marijuana use among parents is, when ‘no one looks twice when a mom says she enjoys wine’.
The point of her post, she said, was to ‘bring awareness’ to how much the substance has helped her. So far, it has been liked over 25,000 times in the past 24 hours.
Caitlin has gained a community online thanks to her openness and honesty about life as a young mom.
At 18, she fell pregnant with her first child, Adriana, now six. She also has a son, Jack, four, with her high school sweetheart and partner of 10 years, her husband Noah.
Mom: Caitlin talks about growing into her 20s as a mom after she fell pregnant with her oldest child, now six, when she was 18-years-old
Conversation: Instagram users praised Caitlin, pictured, for starting a conversation for moms who like to smoke to deal with the stresses of daily life
Family: Noah and Caitlin met as 13-year-olds and are still together 10 years later with their two kids in towe
‘I have never been the most patient with my two kids,’ Caitlin said on the post.
‘Weed makes me a better mom, as I get a good night sleep after I smoke. I wake up well rested, and with a more clear mind. [My anxiety] has been so much better since I started smoking.’
She was clear to clarify that she only smokes when her children are in bed.
Help: Caitlin, pictured, is vocal about how weed helps her cope with anxiety, depression and fueling hunger so she doesn’t get underweight
Quickly, the post amassed over 600 comments from women and men who added that they also enjoy weed in their down time.
‘Yes finally someone said it!!! It’s honestly way safer than getting drunk anyways. this momma of 3 loves her weed and snacks before I fall fast asleep,’ one woman said.
Another added: ‘Just as acceptable if not more so. Alcohol has many more negative side affects than weed. Love this post.’
Others lamented that while they smoked weed, it was not legal in the countries they resided in.
‘I smoke weed to help with anxiety/depression plus I have problems trying eat a lot so it definitely helps with that,’ one woman said.
‘I’ve gotten a lot of negative reactions for being a mom that smokes weed, even from people who either used to smoke before they had kids or they judge me when they are turning to far worse life ruining drugs,’ she continued.
‘This!!! Your posts help ease my momma guilt so much,’ praised one woman.
Another added: ‘I see no problem with smoking weed as a a parent. As long as you aren’t doing it with the children around and it’s not putting them at risk then I see no problem.’
‘Even though I’m not a mom yet, I’m 100 [per cent] behind this. I don’t drink anymore because it negatively affected my life and all I do is smoke now and my life has improved so much. I’m so grateful for powerful women like you advocating for marijuana! Thank you,’ a commenter said.
Open: Caitlin’s 285,000 followers routinely praise her for being open about the realities of being a stay-at-home mom struggling with her mental health
Depression: The young mom is vocal about her mental health issues and talks at length about how she is dealing
Instagram v reality: The Vancouver-based mom also shares joking side-by-side comparisons of what her life as a mom ‘should’/does look like to show other moms her reality
There were virtually no naysayers on the post, but one woman aired: ‘If you smoke weed every day or you drink every day this is a problem!
‘Regardless whether you have children or not but I guess if you’re responsible for another person you should not drink or smoke. Especially when you’re home alone with children.
T-shirt: Caitlin poses is a ‘moms who smoke weed are not bad moms’ shirt alongside Jack
‘That’s my view on things. Obviously one glass of wine is fine, you can still drive and take kids to hospital in case they need to go.’
The post comes days after Caitlin revealed in an emotive caption how she ‘tried to take her own life’ in 2018 as she shared a picture from that period of her life.
In a letter to herself, she said: ‘I’ve battled with depression and anxiety for most of my life, but last January is when the darkest corners of my mind, were starting to win.
‘I was not the best mom because of this. I was sleeping all day, letting the TV babysit my children, and snapping at them way too easily. I wasn’t the mom they had once known. I was morphing into a person I didn’t even recognize.’
Partner: Caitlin thanks Noah for being by her side and praises his parenting
Insight: Women all over the world praise Caitlin, pictured with her two children, for being candid and allowing genuine insight into her life as a mom
‘Then the ugly parts of my mind came into play. All I could hear in my head was a voice telling me I was a burden to my kids. I was a burden to everyone, and life would simply be easier for them without me in it.’
Her mom intervened as she tried to swallow a bottle of prescription pills.
She concluded: ‘You can see the demons I was fighting, in this picture. You can see it under the layers of makeup. You can see it in my hollow eyes.
‘Almost one year later, I’m here. With my kids. Still fighting those voices in my head. Just not alone. I had to accept the help. It’s been a long, ugly journey. But I’m here. I’m fighting. ’
Comments underneath Caitlin’s searingly honest posts are often from other moms, telling her how much she has helped them voice their own struggles.
‘Your page, your thoughts, you testimony… thank you,’ a typical comment reads.
‘Today is definitely a day where I needed to hear this. Thank you,’ reads another.