Late Bloomers
It’s an odd situation: you once had to hide your bong at your mom’s house, but now she has her own that she’s leaving out on the kitchen counter next to her car keys. Maybe you’ve even seen your grandparents vaping on the porch recently.
Congratulations: your older folks are part of a club we like to call the “Late Bloomers,” and they’re a special group. Welcome seniors to the wonderful world of vaping!
Think seniors can’t smoke? Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the flower queen supreme and resident senior @baddiewinkle, tagline “Stealing yo man since 1928"
The seniors in your life might not be as bad as Baddie, but they can (and we think, should!) benefit from some smoking love, with a little help from you. What should and shouldn’t seniors do when starting out with their first pipe?
5 Key Tips for Herb-Inspired Seniors
Go slow
Vapes
Body
Artisan Craftsmanship and Design
Safety first!
Go slow: Just because your parents aren’t 20 (we think) doesn’t mean they’re immune to becoming the heroes of Harold and Kumar and Dude Where’s My Car?. Too much good-good too early can turn your family into elderly vegetables just sitting around the house laughing about how funny the cat looks. We’ve heard this issue can happen more frequently to retired people, as they don’t have to worry about going to their 9-5 the next day.
Not only do we want to stop the ‘rents from balling out too quickly, we also don’t want them to have a bad trip. It can be scary at first if you’ve never hit a bong and suddenly there’s a Chernobyl in your lungs. Make it a family activity and show them how to properly light their pipes and inhale--of course, just a little bit. We think your grandma could really dig these pipes shaped like food.
Vapes: Speaking of teaching your family how to light up, it might be even simpler: vaping is a fantastic option for first-timers. It doesn’t burn the flower at such a high temperature, so the feel is smoother for those inhaling. We love this pink Cloud Pen 3.0 Vaporizer for its small and easy to use design--mom could even keep it in her coin purse and show off to the ladies at Bridge next week.
One thing to remember about vapes: they’re scary at first if you’ve never hit one. Fancy lights, pressing a button 5 times to turn it on and off, making sure you put in enough wax--it can be intimidating. Most seniors don’t want to deal with more complicated technology, but you can show just how easy vaping is: we recommend starting them off with a simple vape pen, choose from several in our vape pen collection here. Your parents taught you how to ride a bike, use a knife and fork (maybe?) now’s the time you can pass on your knowledge and help them out. Make sure to let your parents practice with you in a judgement-free zone; however, once they start and see how easy it is, they might not stop…
Body: While vaping still brings up concerns for people, they typically don’t produce as much smoke as other methods, and many of the newer pipes also have better technology to reduce overall byproducts. If they’re feeling it, your parents can benefit from new beaker base bongs, which filter out almost all of the toxins and negative byproducts from the herb.
Artisan Craftsmanship and Design: You know that $500 kitchen mixer stand your mom just bought from Williams Sonoma? We’re guessing the sleek design and allure had something to do with it. It’s cool. Well-played, Williams. But your family can find the same caliber of design and technology when they’re smoking too.
Look no further than the DaVinci IQ Vaporizer--there’s nothing quite like it. This thing is made out of pure ceramic zirconia to create the freshest vapor for a quality puff. Forget jewelry--this is what you need to be getting mom for her birthday this year.
Your parents probably have some reservations about the bong life: this is not getting caught in your mom’s basement smoking and playing D+D when you’re 17--we’re above that now. Allow mom to proudly display her recycler bong next to her flower vases. This is human-centered design that helps you lead a better life in a beautiful way: just like walking into Williams Sonoma. But we’re baking something different...
Safety: Ok, so maybe mom is cool with the vapor, she’s into the pretty bong you got her for Mother’s Day, and she’s getting some street cred with her Sunday brunch ladies for her intricate smoke rings. But if she has fears about vapes exploding? No worries mom--this issue that was widely reported in the media in the past few years, and was not due to design, but caused by poorly charged lithium batteries ... which are also in cell phones and laptops. As long as she charges her vape using the charger included with the original packaging, she’ll be fine. If she’s really worried about vapes, Mom can always go old school with a simple pipe.
Now that you know how to spell it out, how to teach them what products to use, what are some use cases for getting the family onboard? We’ve thought up some ways to share your cloud-love with the elderly people in your life. Check out our recommendations:
Family potluck: This could be a picnic too, but we prefer the term potluck. Make sure there is more food than usual for this one, and that all your favorite dishes are there. If you can enlist some sibling support, now’s the time to do so. We recommend waiting til the end of the meal to casually pull out a pen. If mom yells at you for smoking inside (we don’t think she’ll know it’s just vapor), make sure it’s lily-flavored or one of her favorite flowers. She might be more willing to try it for herself then.
Hiking or nature walk: There’s something about being outside. You just feel a lot better and everybody is more open-minded. This is the best time to strike and grab your elderly folks’ attention with a little cloud-making. We recommend undertaking a walk or hike where you need to ascend something--a mountain, a hill, a heap of trash--then, when you’ve all made it together, you’ll have this incredible sense of unity with each other and the universe. Maybe there’s a cool sunset going on. This is when you want to introduce your family to the wonder that is smoking. Make sure to bring a portable vape like the PAX 3 Vaporizer that’s great for cloud-lovers on the go.
Saving Grace: How could we not bring up this classic film about a group of English women in their 70s who start growing plants to pay off a dead husband’s debt? We like this film for several reasons: first, it teaches viewers that you can be at any level or position in society, age or gender to enjoy some good herb. This could be a great way to soften your parent’s views towards puffing before you whip out the equipment. However, this is a great film to bond to while vaping as a family. It’s all about making a connection and having adequate representation to show that anybody, anywhere can smoke. To really make the most of the ending, we recommend going strong with a shared, family pipe like the Charybdis Propellor Perc Klein-Style Recycler.
Spa time: This can be for the ladies and the men. Make sure everybody is totally blissed out--we’re talking massages, a dip in the hot tub, some classic energy work with Reiki or Therapeutic Touch. Open your soul; open your mind to new experiences. This is a great strategy for parents, aunts or grandparents to introduce them to a new way of living. Make sure you’re burning more than just candles during your pampering time. Our favorite? Relaxing in the hot tub with your favorite vape.
Are you a senior who puffs? Do you know somebody who does? Let us know how you got started and what others in your age group think about it!