Marijuana and Teens: Facts, Myths & Conversations That Help

Trying something once or a couple of times is not the same as regular daily use or significant or heavy use. So we're going to be talking about both of those things, and we know that weed has a bigger and longer impact on cognition, on memory for teenagers than it does, for adults. And because the teen or adolescent brain is still developing,

that it can actually have some longer term effects Yes. In how that brain develops. Yes. Versus an adult brain that's already completed that process.

Welcome back to the Parenting Pair Podcast. I'm Dr. Annalise Caron

And I'm Dr. Suzanne Allen.

And today, are diving into a question that many parents are looking at from different angles in the new era we're in with a lot of states in The United States now having legalized marijuana. And so it's a new ground for many people, and we got a really interesting and really thoughtful question from a listener that I thought I would read and that would just sort of lead off our discussion because she brought up a number of, really important things. She says, dear parenting pair, my husband and I started using marijuana recreationally a few years back during COVID lockdown when our state legalized it. Early on, we limited our use to weekends when the kids were asleep.

But in more recent times, my husband has started to vape weed daily, particularly before bed. Our kids are aware of his frequent use, and I'm concerned for my almost 16 year old son who seems to think weed is no big deal. I know he has tried it two to three times, and I'm worried since many of the families in our community now used to. When I talk to him about it and the dangers to him and his friends, he blows me off like it's nothing. I actually think that he thinks weed isn't a problem and that he can do it without becoming addicted.

Can you let me know if I'm overreacting and what I should do? School is about to get back into swing, and I don't want him to get into a bad pattern that could hurt his future. So a lot wrapped into that question.

Yeah. What an incredibly thoughtful question. And I would say right from the get go, this mom is really just I I think it in headed in the right direction just in terms of her thoughtfulness and and all of the nuanced ways she's speaking about it. And I think it's really reflective of this very complicated moment that we're in in terms of the changes in legalization. And also, I know we'll talk about this more, but the changes to marijuana, how different it is from what it used to be.

And I I think she kind of brings up a lot of things that add to the complicated nature of this. Family and our own family kind of values or family choices, community legalization, what she thinks is the attitude or the beliefs of her teenagers. There's a lot here.

There's a lot here. And I just like to, you know, sort of pinpoint that this, if you are living in a state that has not legalized marijuana, if your child or yourself, if you don't use, there are still aspects to what we're going to talk about here that I think are universal and can be really helpful. Because certainly before legalization, teenagers tried marijuana or used marijuana and some And so did adults. Yes. Absolutely.

So there there are, themes that are brought up in this question, but I really think given current marijuana trends and the experience of how people perceive marijuana at this point, this episode can really apply to people in all different places. So let's just start sort of big picture. Right? You know, I think a lot of people fear the teenage years or, you know, oh, no. There's going to be a lot of risk taking and, you know, that's a problem.

We just wanna start from the standpoint that risk taking is developmentally normal and important. And they're yes. Trying marijuana, if that comes up for your teen, can be you know, it's is a risky behavior, but not all risk is bad. So we want to start from the standpoint that, not to catastrophize this topic either for yourself or your teen. Would you agree?

Yep. Risk taking is normal. Not all risks are equal. And I would say in terms of the, you know, risk taking to be expected, that word sounds very scary. Right?

There's risk taking in adolescence, and we immediately go to, you know, drug sex and rock and roll. Right? But there's a lot of risk taking that's really lovely and exciting and interesting and fun. You know, trying out for the school play, asking someone out on a date.

Trying out yeah. Learning to drive.

Yeah. Right? That even, you know, as an adult now, I can think back to some of those things and I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, some of those moments. Right?

Taking those chances really taught me about myself or opened up possibilities. So a lot of risk taking can be really exciting and positive and and fun as a parent to watch your kid grow Right.

Into this adult. And so there are some higher stakes risk taking. Right? Like trying drinking or trying driving. But we do wanna emphasize just from the start here, trying something once or a couple of times is not the same as regular daily use or significant or heavy use.

So we're going to be talking about both of those things, But I I would say that trying marijuana is something that's within the realm of I don't wanna say a normative teenage behavior because not everyone does that. Mhmm. But it you don't need to absolutely go towards catastrophizing that behavior. You just wanna understand it, be respectful, and kind of know where you fall as a parent on this because everyone, you know, maybe, may see things from a little different angle. Yep.

Yeah. Very good. Okay. So first

part, risk taking is a is a part of adolescence and

part of development. There's going to be curiosity. Of course, there may be more curiosity in communities where marijuana is legal, and where they may see adults in their community using weed. Right? That what we do know and what has been researched is that with greater legalization, the perception of harm of marijuana, it it is not perceived as harmful versus, you know, other things.

And so that's that's important to know because just because something is legal, and we emphasize, of course, legal for adults, in most states, it's legal for age 21 and over. Right? That does not mean that it's first of all, it's not legal. But second of all, that does not mean that it's healthy for a teenage brain. Mhmm.

And that I think brings up kind of this bigger point of of the second thing we want to address here is that use in the adolescent brain is very different than marijuana use in Right. In terms of

the impacts. Right. And so this is information in conversations, not lectures. Right? We always wanna start with curiosity with our teenagers if you decide to speak about marijuana or if you want to speak about your own use, if you are someone who uses marijuana, either medicinally or recreationally.

We wanna start with getting a sense of what our teens think about this, but then information that's important for teens to know is that how marijuana affects an adult brain is different than how it affects a teenage brain. Right? And we know that weed has a bigger and longer impact on cognition, on memory, on for teenagers than it does, for adults. And because the teen or adolescent brain is still developing, that it can

actually have some longer term effects Yes. In how that brain develops. Versus an adult brain that's already completed that process.

Right. There is some evidence that, heavier use during the adolescent years can actually lead to changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and that is hard to recover. You know, adolescence is a period, the teenage years, the tween and teenage years of great change and reorganization of the brain. So there's a lot of pruning and myelination, and all that means is the the sort of, the things that teens are engaged in, the critical thinking, the sports they're playing, the the music that they're learning to do, where they're putting their emphasis, that, you know, those routes in the brain become more, significant. Right?

And the things that they're not doing as much, kind of fade away a little bit. Right? And so given, you know, if someone's using marijuana regularly, that can interfere with some of those other activities that they might have been doing that affects their brain development. So it's just important to be aware of that, that you really want a brain to solidify and be an adult brain. Most states have the, age at 21 for legalization.

I think you and I would agree that mid to later twenties would be better because we know that particularly the prefrontal cortex is developing well into someone's twenties. So twenties. So our message for adults would be, for your teenagers to get a message of delaying use. If if use is a value in your family, that that's really something for adults because it operates differently, and has more lasting consequences for teenagers than it does for adults. Mhmm.

And that is not to say that marijuana use, similar to alcohol use, doesn't impact adults as well. Right.

Right. It certainly impacts adults, but not quite in the same way. Yeah. And so it's important, particularly if if parents are using themselves, that they make that distinction.

Yeah. Right. And that they can acknowledge that to a teen, like that it affects everyone, but here's my concern for your potential use. Here's why. Just in case there's a team like, well, you use, it's no big deal.

Right? That there can be some distinction there of, you know, it actually would impact both of us, but it might have much longer term impacts

Longitude of your development. Yeah. And I would emphasize too just in these conversations, educating teens. You know, there's very good there's been very positive, and a lot of PSAs on drinking. Right?

So teenagers are pretty knowledgeable of drinking and driving, the effects of drinking and driving. You know, using marijuana affects, you know, coordination and driving, etcetera. So they need that basic information that there's short term effects, you know, the experience of a high that impacts, you know, their ability to be effective with their schoolwork, make decisions maybe in, you know, sexual, situations, effectively for themselves or, in driving that so there's those short term things to be aware of and also the longer term

term effects. Mhmm.

Right? Now I will say that teenagers in my office, tell me and parents have told me that their teens say to them, but it helps me. Right? I you know, it helps my anxiety. Right?

It it helps calm my stress. I'm more effective, you know. My sleep has gotten better. Yeah. I'm a little less reactive, you know, to my friends or to you, you know Yep.

When I've taken an edible or when I've Yeah. Used. And And so things are

going better at school or things are going better with my friends.

This is helping me. And so I think what it's important for parents to know in formulating conversations, wherever you land on this topic, to really be curious about your teen's experience and validate their experience if they have tried marijuana and if they have a positive, understanding of how it, quote, unquote, works for them to respect that. That's not to say necessarily that you're endorsing them using at this age, but to say, wow. Tell me more about that. That's I understand.

You know, when people feel understood and respected, they're more likely to listen and respect you. Mhmm. So really kind of talking that through, but then linking to some of the things we've mentioned about the difference in the teenage brain and how it's you know, has longer term impacts on the teenage brain. And sort of then that discussion, you might be able to redirect or consider with them some other methods because of your concerns about using marijuana during the teen years.

And I think your point of validating from the beginning and really trying to go for some understanding here helps the conversation not hopefully get to a point of conflict or so black and white. Right? I'm you know, this really helps me. Well, no, you can't because. Right?

Like, because it's bad for you, because it's against the law. Right? If you start from like, oh my gosh, like, it must be so hard to not be able to get to sleep when you know you've got to get up at 06:30 the next morning for school. Let's talk a little bit about that. Right?

That sense of being understood in that helps you stay with the conversation a little bit longer and gives you information that then how could we problem solve this? You know, I understand that and it is really important for you to get your sleep, but here's my worry about how in the long term this could impact you. I wonder if there's other things that we could do to try to help your sleep and move away from this. Right. Would you be open to talking to someone about it?

Would you be open to looking into that if we could try to find another way to solve this problem? So you're not discounting that there is a problem there that they're trying to address the best that they can.

Yeah. 100%. And and, again, it doesn't mean that all teenagers are going to immediately say, oh, yes. I'd love to get on an exercise program, and I'll stop using marijuana right away.

You know? Give me your CBT strategies, and I will think differently about my problems and feel better.

Right. Nor that those things would work in the same fashion or maybe as quickly as marijuana might. But starting those discussions, being open, and not being controlling and anxious and shutting them down and saying you can't, helps facilitate better communication, better understanding, and will allow for you to share more information of what you're concerned about outside of. Which over time is helping them think through these things

as well. Right? Because there is gonna be a point where they're no longer presumably living in your home. Right? And so to be able to think for themselves, like, I've got this problem.

Here's one way I could solve it. Let me think about whether that solution is a good short term one, but is it good long term? Let me you know, whether that's marijuana, whether that's alcohol, whether it's many other things.

Right. And another thing I just want to acknowledge is a lot of parents themselves may not have a significant perception of harm from marijuana. Right? They may remember to trying it back in college in the nineties and having fond memories of that. Right?

Or they may use recreationally now and, you know, because it's legal and because they've been able to do that in a healthy way for themselves, they may not necessarily think, oh, you know, you definitely shouldn't be doing this. So we just wanna give information that can help think through what you share with your teen. Right? And so as you start that conversation and validate your teen's perspective and share your concerns, maybe about brain development or maybe about them getting caught, you know, because it's illegal for teenagers, which is important to mention, it's also important for parents to know. And I actually think our high schoolers know this because they've learned it in health class, but some parents really haven't because they remember, oh, yeah.

I tried that a few times in college. That was funny and moved on from it. That the marijuana of today is really not the marijuana, of the eighties and nineties or when we were young. Nope. It's an entirely different animal.

You know, the sort of the potency has increased drastically. So, you know, the ingredient of THC back in the nineties was about three to 5%. Right? And that, you know, potency now is typically around 20 to 30%. So if you think about that, you know, that's like a a five to over seven times more.

Yep. So if you think about maybe if you had tried it yourself, that effect, and then times that by five. Yeah. That's that's

What that might feel like. What that might feel like. Or how difficult how much more difficult that might be to stop, you know, or how much slippery slope it might be once you got started on that slope if you if you're using in a more regular way. So I think that's number one that you can educate yourself and your teenagers about that, that it is a much more highly addictive substance at this point than it was when we were young, and it has more potent effects. There's also many different modalities.

Yes.

This one as well, which I think also makes it confusing because there are varying levels of, potency to it and administration. Right? So we have gummies now. We have vape pens. Right.

With edibles, you can still smoke it and, you know, you can dab, which is highly highly concentrated up to, like, 90% THC. And what that's going to do to the brain is entirely different. And I really, really sympathize with parents on this one because unlike alcohol, which really hasn't changed, you know, we all got in health class that, like, this is a beer. This is a five ounce glass of wine. This is a shot.

And and these things are equivalent in terms of, you know, level of alcohol so that so that there was an education that has stayed and been regulated and maintained, for years and years and years. So we all know that. The marijuana industry is an an entirely different beast. So even just within edibles, for example, there are some edibles with much greater levels of t THC than others. And so it's hard to know, and it's hard for teenagers to know if they're experimenting a little bit, if they're doing a little bit of risk taking, what the consequences of that might be.

And so that's just another thing to share, you know, with your teenager. I want you to know that that I'm concerned for your brain development, but I'm also concerned for its addictive nature and that what you do on one weekend may not be the same the next weekend. One editable may not be equivalent to another. And I think one other you know, and

I I don't wanna, again, be scaring everyone because I know that urge to kind of jump off listening to this podcast, and then run to your child's room and start talking to them. But I I want to highlight one area that I've found a number of young people have gotten into

a little

bit of trouble with are the edibles. Mhmm. Because they often don't have an immediate effect. And so I think, you know, because who knows, right, this is such a wide kind of field of of marijuana that sometimes they will take an edible, and then within five, ten, fifteen minutes, they don't feel anything, and so they may have another or a portion of another. And what they don't know is actually there's a delayed effect of that.

And so by adding more in can lead to kind of very high levels of

I've actually read, and I'm by no means an expert on this, so, we should really get someone on the podcast that that is. Yes. But I believe with some edibles, at least, it may even be up to three hours later that you get to that sort of highest potency of the edible. So that's that's again information, that I think is coming out to teens to some degree, but it's important for them to know. Yeah.

It's really important for them to know if they're, you know, engaging in any experimentation. And I know I've talked to parents who say, I would prefer not to get into all this level of detail because I just don't want them to use. And I understand that, but I also think it's like, knowledge is power. Right? And so you can relay a message that even though it's legal for adults, you really strongly encourage them not to use for these different reasons.

But if you were ever in that circumstance, right, it's like it's it's like the conversations, you know, that that one might have about, you know, if you're, you know, drinking, you know, I don't want you to drink. But if you do drink, I'll I'll come and pick you up, and I'll get you home safe. No questions asked. You know, we'll deal with that the next day. You know, having that I want you to have this information, you know, so that you can make good decisions if you find yours to the degree possible if you find yourself in circumstances.

Yep. And information isn't permission.

A 100%. Was nice dated, Suzanne.

Thank you.

Oh, I'm using that one.

Maybe someone else said it and I took it accidentally. Apologize. Yeah. I did. Apologize.

Another sort of information for parents to know, but also can facilitate conversations with teens, is that in this broad array, excuse me, of levels of THC in marijuana and types of marijuana that people can you know, that's accessible to them, there are different types of marijuana made in different ways. Right? So when we talk about marijuana that's at a dispensary in The States where it's legalized, right, that is regulated to some degree, and that's typically called delta nine marijuana. There is synthetic marijuana that's made from hemp that is referred to as delta eight marijuana. And the reason I'm bringing this up on with regard to tenants, and, again, just in sort of sharing information and having conversations about these these topics, the synthetic marijuana differs in terms of its level of regulation and access by states.

So so just within The United States. For those of you listening outside The United States, I'm sorry. I can't speak to your to the status in your country. But for us, there are a number of states where that's not regulated at all. And so it can be sold anywhere.

It can be sold in convenience stores. It can be purchased on the Internet. And that has to do with a federal bill that went through in 2018 that allowed for this. And it does, just for the record, typically have lower levels of THC, but it's synthetically made and it's very accessible in a number of states. And then teens are getting access to it with, you know, in just places that parents would never imagine.

And I think, you know, one of the concerns about this, right, is that when it seems so readily available and you can pick it up alongside your Diet Coke at the gas station

Yep.

Right, it feels like it's more safe or less problematic. Right? And so it can change our perceptions of something that may actually still carry

great risk to it. A 100%. If you're a teenager and it's available at the gas station, whereas liquor, you have to go to a liquor store or a certain part of the grocery store in certain states and there's rules and you have to be, you know, ID'd, etcetera. If you can just get it at the gas station and it's not closely monitored, then it doesn't seem like it's a problem.

Maybe it's not that big

a deal. And we need parents and teens to know to be educated about this. Just like we're educated about, you know, cigarettes, it's still dangerous. Using too much of that is also linked to mental health problems just like using too much marijuana can be. Anxiety, confusion, and then with excessive use, hallucinations, psychotic Psychosis.

Psychosis. Yeah. And so, again, not meaning to terrify parents listening to this, but just be informed. Have those conversations. And in some states, it's not allowed at all.

In some states, it's it is sold only through dispensaries. So it's it's a very quick Google for use, but I'd encourage anyone listening to this, you know, just Google your state and, you know, Delta eight marijuana, what are the regulations or not, where can this be received or not, just so you can educate yourself and your children.

Yeah. I'm glad you're bringing it back. Also mentioning kind of each of our individual states and communities, because I think that helps bring us back a little bit to this parent's question too, and this particular nuance, you know, and some of her thoughts around her husband's use and also kind of, you know, that other family members or other people that they know within the community also use. And so how do we kind of handle that when we're raising our teens?

Well, I think what you're bringing up is that with greater availability, greater access, it does sort of normalize, you know, marijuana use for people, which is, you know, the reality of it. Mhmm. But it does bring up a question that, you know, I I'm trying to you know, it can be alcohol. You know, we we I for years, I was part of a prevention council in our town, and we talk a lot about, you know, with teenagers in the home or young children in the home home, putting alcohol away in some circumstances if needed, locking the alcohol up. So there's just no access.

And I think this is now a new thing to be considered in communities for yourself if you're a recreational user as an adult, or if that your child is going to other places, maybe starting to have some conversations with other parents or other people in community. Like, how are you handling, you know, the marijuana if you keep that in your home? You know? And that it's it's a tricky thing because I think people can feel judged. Oh, you use.

You don't use. It's not that. It's more just even if you share what you're doing, you know, if you're a family that recreationally uses, it's worth doing, but we're keeping it locked in a separate place just to kind of get those norms out there and have those discussions. You know, I remember the movement towards really being able to ask people if they have guns in their home, and that was a hard thing for parents to do for a period of time. And then people got more comfortable with it.

I I think marijuana may be the same.

Yeah. And I think it's all in an effort, right, to support each other and support our kids. And new conversations or conversations around things like this, particularly when it's not part of the norm can be difficult. So it might take a little bit of a courage as a parent to do this, but like you said, bringing up maybe your own practices around it, so you're not judging anyone else or asking anyone which might feel judgmental to them. Yeah.

You know, sharing something like this podcast, or if your school's having a talk, right, sharing with other people and and sending out that email and saying, you know, hey, this is something we're really thinking about in our house, like, would love to hear your thoughts on it. Might be a way to kick off that conversation without having to say, do you use marijuana in your home and what are

you doing about it? Right? Which maybe for some people feels a little too forward and others not. Right. A 100%.

I think I also just wanna take a moment here because we have been talking about general conversations to have with your teens, impacts in general. There's also, you know, a subset of parents who have teens who are regularly using and using in a heavy way. And question a that that I have been asked twice in recent times was, should I be getting marijuana for my teen from the dispensary because I know they're using? And I'm worried about it being laced with other concerning, you know, other concerning things, drugs, should I do that? And what I would say about that is, of course, if a teenager is significantly using marijuana, our recommendation would be to get additional support.

Right? Every person's situation is different, but there may be times for someone who's unwilling to stop or unable to stop that you would want to consider with, you know, a medical professional or a mental health professional, how to keep your child safe, and that's that's an important thing for parents to consider. And I I think that's very different from saying, oh, well, they're gonna do it anyway, so I might as well get it for them because that's really a messaging of it's fine versus I have a child here who's using a lot and struggling with that and unable to stop or unwilling. Should I do this? I I think that is an option of options.

I'm not encouraging that, but it's just something to acknowledge that I just sort of wanted to say there.

And an option probably to be weighed and evaluated with With a professional. Professional. With the mental health, substance use professional,

or medical provider. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. And, again, I have heard the lighter, oh, I'll just get it for them because they'll do it, and I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Yeah.

I think teenagers actually very much respond, And and the use is going down, you know, in the youth behavior risk survey, you know, compared to where it was in 2012 to now, fewer teens are using. So that's another important thing because teenagers can feel, like everyone's using. You know? That is actually not the case. So having that information can be helpful as well.

So before we get to our what now, I wanna just address one line that came across in this question too about, I think the mom said, I think my teen thinks it's no big deal. And Yeah. He blows her off. He blows her off. Yep.

So I imagine that he thinks we it's no big deal. Now, we wanna I I always encourage parents to listen to your teen, be curious, like, take what they say, you know, and really value it. I also wanna add in that sometimes our teens say or act in ways that may not exactly be representative of what they're thinking or feeling. Sometimes they're tired from a long day, they want us to stop talking. Sometimes they have ADHD, and too much verbal input is overwhelming to them.

Whatever the reason might be, sometimes our teens might blow us off or appear to think that something's not a big deal, but they're still listening Yeah. And they still hear it. And so I would say that even if your teen is behaving like this is no big deal Or I already know this, you don't

have to tell me this.

Be cautious of your reaction to them if it seems like no big deal to hammer it in or keep going. Right. Right. Keep sharing this information. Keep opening up for discussion.

Give them these nuggets. They hear you. Yeah. They hear you.

And and they though they may appear indifferent, it doesn't mean that some of your message isn't getting through if you're, you know, doing having the conversations in a respectful way. Yep. Yeah. Okay. So what what now?

I think two things for what now. The first thing for what now is talk early, talk often. These conversations are easier for our tween parents listening. These conversations are easier if if you start having them when they're younger than you know? But, certainly, if you've never had this discussion, you you have a rodent, you know, you're driving in your car and you pass a dispensary if you're in a place, you know, with legalized marijuana or, you know, you see someone vaping, just ask them, hey, you know, do people vape at your school?

Do you think that's nicotine? Do you think that's marijuana? Just having those conversations. Everything doesn't have to be a lecture and really listening to your teen. Mhmm.

Mhmm. Talk early, talk often. Yep. And the other thing I would say is with all of this information over time in conversations over time that you may share with your teen, always let them know that if they find themselves in a difficult position, right, that safety comes first, that you'll always come get them. You know?

So people do worry about that with drinking and with, you know, drug use. Am I giving them the wrong message to say, you know, it's okay. I'll come and get you. You know?

Yep. You won't be in trouble. Just reach out to me.

I actually think teenagers can hear that double message. They absolutely can hear this is dangerous for you, and I'd encourage you not to do it and it's illegal. But they also can hear and if you get yourself in that situation, I am going to be there, you know, to keep you safe. Mhmm. Right?

Yep. And it also can help to give your teenager an out, you know, ideas for an out. Like

And to be able to cope ahead for that.

Yeah. Like, can't do it because my mom would like, you know, drug test me or my, you know, or my mom is like so difficult. Like, make me be the problem for the reason, for the way to get out of that. Sometimes sports teams people used to, like, can't do it because I'm on the baseball team.

Yep. And our coach tests us.

Yeah. Yep. So to round up, I have one final suggestion.

Yes. I think we're sharing the same suggestion because I'm I put your hand up if you're feeling like I in my mind, I've been making a mental checklist of all the things I need to address at home right now. So tell me tell me what to do.

It's exactly what I said to do. I don't know if you remember, like, four or five years ago. No. Seven years ago, I gave that talk on social media, and at the end of it, it it had felt like I gave so much information. And then I told the whole room of people, you are not allowed to speak to your children and teens about this for at least twenty four hours.

Whatever you do, wherever you are, do not get off this podcast and go and talk to your teen about it. Okay? You having the information

Do I have to promise?

Has not changed anything. You need to let it simmer. Yeah. You need to find the one or two things that are important to you or roads in. When we get a lot of information and maybe feel a little anxious about the information we have, we tend to be less effective in our conversations with our teens.

So I would strongly encourage you, very strongly, don't bring this up. Just chew on it. Think it through. What's the most interesting or important thing you gained from this, and how might you wanna broach that potentially with your teenager, but not in the next day? It's great advice.

Alright. Well, as always, if there's anything that, came up in this podcast that you want to give us any feedback about, if listening to this podcast made you think someone else in the community might enjoy hearing it, we'd love to hear from you with your feedback. And also, we'd love for you to share this, with anyone that you think might benefit from it. Additionally, you can send us an email at hello@theparentingpair.com. You can DM us at the parenting pair.

Yeah. We we loved this question. We appreciate this mom's reach out.

Yeah. And incredible thoughtfulness. You know, we're all trying to do our best here in complicated times.

Yeah. And I think we all just have to help each other out because the landscape changing so rapidly.

Yeah. Thanks so much for listening.

Have a great week. And now a quick word from our lawyers. The Parenting Pair Podcast is designed for informational and educational purposes only. Do not rely on the information presented in this podcast as a substitute or replacement for professional psychological or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about you or a family member's well-being, please contact a licensed mental health professional or physician.