Preventing smoking
Categories: Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Development, Alcohol & drugs, Education
When I was a teenager, tobacco companies used to hand out free sample packs of cigarettes on the sidewalk downtown. I took one once, snuck it home, and squirreled it away until I had a chance to try them. When the time came, I simply couldn't get the thing lit. So I gave up. That was my one and only personal experience with smoking and, now, I'm very glad it turned out the way it did.I plan to do my best to make sure my kids don't smoke and I imagine most parents would just as soon not have their kids take it up. Aside from the whole dying-of-cancer thing, cigarettes cost a whole lot of money, they smell bad, and they can destroy electronic equipment.
Jacki Donaldson, over at That's Fit relates an interesting story of talking with her son about smoking. I admire her honesty in pointing out that smoking does not always lead to cancer and that one can get cancer without ever having smoked. Overall, rather than taking a cigarettes-are-a-tool-of-the-devil stance, she weaves it into an overall let's-try-to-be-healthy strategy for life. I like that.
She also links to some tips for talking to kids about smoking. These suggestions include the obvious -- be a good role model and don't smoke -- as well as the less obvious -- talking to kids about tobacco advertising. The latter is especially important as the tobacco companies spend an amazing amount of money on advertising and making their product look as appealing as possible
Feel free to share any advice you have for preventing kids from trying cigarettes in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sabrina 4-21-2008 @ 2:14PM
I have a feeling that despite all good intentions it's up to the child, her choices in life as a whole, and her temprament. My mom smoked when I was younger and told me not to, and explained how hard it is to stop. Although I thought it was nasty I was also the kind of teenager to make "rebellious" decisions, and got addictetd to smoking pretty quickly. On the other hand my best friend also had a smoking mother, and got the same smoking talk, and also had the same peer pressure I had, but to this day has never smoked. I attribute that to her just not being the type to do something unhealthy or make a rebellious decision unless there was a very good reason. So, I think the best advice to keep your child from becoming a smoker is to try your best to raise them in an environment that doesn't promote secrecy from parents, and does promote healthy life choices.
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Brad Hart 4-22-2008 @ 1:17AM
If governments were serious about not wanting kids to start smoking or the poor people who can barely support themselves to keep doing it they would simply raise the price. Most states have a minimum price that smokes and alcohol can be sold at. If those states wanted to keep the people from smoking that can least afford it or who shouldn't ever start they price it out of their range.
A $40 pack of cigarettes with most of the money going to the states would quickly turn off most people to the idea of smoking. Most kids get started smoking by stealing them from mom or dad or bumming them off a someone else. Most people don't think twice about giving a $0.20 cigarette away, a $2.00 one is a very different story.
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