Ask Linda Anything!

Hey Linda, I love the show! What is your take on teens and marijuana use. My teenager is 19 years old and is a productive college student, however, he smokes marijuana. What should I do about this issue?! Help!
Submitted By donna

Hi Donna, I found some evidence of pot smoking in one of my son's room when he was a junior in high school. I grounded him for 2 months. Seriously, 2 months and no weekends with friends. It was definitely torture for me to listen to him complain and not to weaken on the punishment but I felt while he was in my care, I would do my best to try to stop a potential bad habit from forming.
I even went as far as to buy a testing kit for marijuana. I remember literally, standing behind the door of the bathroom to be sure he wasn't filling the testing cup with water. I relaxed about it after he proved that he stopped and gained back our trust. He is in college now on the other side of the country from me and I don't have the control I did then but I truly believe he doesn't smoke pot. His grades are great, he's productive in his college life, internships, and takes on leadership roles in school. My parents were very strict with me and my siblings growing up and I see the benefits of that. we only have such a short time to be our children's guides and as challenging as it can be, especially during the teenage years, the pay off is the rest of their lives. Love Linda

Click here for your comments or advice on this! | View Comments