A mum has sparked controversy online after revealing she allowed her teenage daughter to smoke cannabis before a GCSE exam to "help with her imagination".
In an online post, the mum explained her teenager smoked a "tiny bit of weed" before school to help her relax, Stoke on Trent Live reports.
She added that the drug helped her daughter as it gives her "imagination for her essays".
The unnamed mum said in a post: "When I asked her why she was doing it right before her English Language exam, she said, 'It gives me more imagination when I'm writing essays I have to make up.'
"My daughter chose to smoke it. She doesn't touch it anymore. She just used it as a relaxant to get her through her GSCEs and she did really well with her results."
She added: "It's up to her to learn from her own choices in life. If I'd have banned her from smoking it every now and then, she would have only done it behind my back as every teenager would do.
"I've always had a 'be open and honest' approach with my daughter and it's worked well.
"She hides no secrets from me and her friends, male and female, see me as a surrogate mum and talk to me about their issues and problems. I can't see that as bad parenting."
People reacted by calling the woman a bad parent, but some defended her stance of letting her children make their own choices.
One woman replied: "So you found it OK for your child to smoke drugs when taking there GCSEs. WOW!!! Shame on you. You're supposed to be the parent."
And another added: "You have the right to bring your child or children up how you see fit. But to let them think it's OK to do drugs, sorry, but for me as a mum-of-three that's a big no-no."
But in support of the mum, another posted: "This woman is right, if you ban and hide things from kids, they will find a way to do it regardless. "I was allowed to do whatever I wanted to as a kid to some respect, now I don't touch any alcohol or drugs.
"I've tried weed and alcohol, neither of which I have ever experienced a need to have."
