One of our goals as parents is to raise strong, independent, free-thinking adults. However, when our kids become young adults and begin to assert those qualities in a way that opposes our thoughts and values, it can be a challenge. The legalization of marijuana can put families in a challenging situation, especially when it comes into the home and parents don’t approve.

Here are a few things to help navigate this potential conflict.

Influence

When parents act out of love and concern, they continue to have great influence on their children’s lives far into adulthood. If you are concerned about health and safety risks related to marijuana use, do your homework and use your influence to share some facts and information that defend your point of view and honestly show your concern. Even if a behavior change doesn’t result in one conversation, planting seeds often bears great fruit down the road.

Culture

Our adult children are immersed in a rapidly changing culture where the norms are more permissive and the boundaries are much broader. Talking about perspectives and understanding the culture differences between our young adulthood and theirs can lead to the start of a great conversation about behaviors, habits and decisions that guide us toward the path God has laid out for us rather than away from that path.

Peace vs Judgement

As with any controversial parenting conversation, we should come from a place of peace and not of judgment. Our actions should always be motivated by our desire to lead rather than lecture, and rooted in a deep desire for our child’s holiness.

Respect

Ultimately, the choices our adult children make are their own and so are the consequences of those decisions. However, your home and the boundaries you set there are not up for debate. In your home, you have the right to determine what activities you are comfortable with. Even though marijuana use is legal, that doesn’t mean you will allow it in your home. The fourth commandment calls us to honor our father and mother, which includes responding respectfully to your requests in your own home. An occasional lesson in respecting authority is always good for the soul.