Teaching kids not to smoke
By sunshine4
@sunshine4 (8703)
United States
July 8, 2007 7:38am CST
From the time my children can talk, I have talked to them about how bad it is for them to smoke. We would see someone smoking and my son would ask what he was doing. I would tell him that he is smoking a cigarette. I would then go on to tell him that people who choose to smoke are actually killing their lungs. As they got older I continued to tell them how harmful smoking is for them and once they start how hard it is for people to stop.
When my son was 4 yrs old, we were in a restaurant and he saw a man smoking. He went over to him and said "You'd better stop smoking now before you end up dieing from it." Of course, I was so embarrassed, and apologized. The man thought it was funny. I actually was happy that I had instilled this in my child at such a young age.
Now my son is 18. He just got a full time job working 4pm-3am. After about 1 month working there, I found a pack of cigarretes in his coat pocket! I was mortified. I asked my son about this and he said if he smokes he gets an extra break at work, so he only smokes there.
What is wrong with this picture? I can't believe that companies would give extra breaks so people can smoke. Other people have told me that this is true with many factories in our town. Have you heard of such a rediculous thing?
2 people like this
9 responses
@coferbox (298)
• United States
8 Jul 07
That is one thing I dislike about working with smokers. They feel they are entitled to more break than us non-smokers. I work in a office settings so our break are not usually monitored. We are just depended on to be honest about it. But I have noticed the smokers take more than the one morning and one afternoon break which we are allowed.
As for your son tell him that an extra break is not worth what he is doing to his lungs. He will be hooked if he is not careful and those extra breaks will not be worth what happens to him in the long run.
With my daughter it was easy to prevent her from smoking. I know several women who have smoked for a really long time. I simply pointed out to my daughter how much older they looked than non-smoking women the same age. Smoking ages you, partly because of what it does to your skin from the insider, but also because of all those lines you get around your mouth if you smoke for a long time. Not to mention it makes you stink.
2 people like this
@coferbox (298)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Does your son still live with you? You can at least forbid him to smoke in your house. But since he is 18 you can't do much about what he does away from home. Just keep talking to him about it and never give up, if you can make him quit I'm sure he will thank you for it in the long run. Good luck.
2 people like this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
9 Jul 07
I have never even seen my son smoke. He won't do it around me or his siblings. He said that he only does it at work~ I don't beleive that one~ He said the he wants the extra breaks too.
@coferbox (298)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Well he could try what I did at my last job. It might or might not work depending on his relationship with is boss and co-workers.
At my last job the smokers were my boss and two other people who I worked closely with. After a long while of them all leaving me alone to work while they took extra breaks I got into the habit several times a week of saying "well I need a caffeine break" when ever they told me they needed a smoke break. I would go get a coke and go outside with them, I would sip my coke while they smoked. I got by with it because I had a good relationship with my boss. And besides what were they going to do? Report me for taking to many breaks??
1 person likes this
@LadyDulce (830)
• United States
10 Jul 07
Most places will allow it b/c people turn into horrors without their fix. Yahoo! News published an article today stating that smoking may lower your chances of getting Parkinsons. It's interesting. Had something to do with the carbon monoxide, lol.
Blessed Be
2 people like this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
10 Jul 07
That is very interesting. So you can choose your disease~ Parkinsons or lung cancer?
1 person likes this
@awonderfullife (2893)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Your son may have been embarrassed that you found out he smokes, so that's why he said that. I have never heard of a company giving extra breaks to smokers. I am not trying to call your son a liar- I just know from experience. My son is older than your son and he STILL lies to me about his smoking because he knows how against it I am!
2 people like this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Oh, I know that he smokes other times too,but not in front of me. It is true about the smoking breaks. My brother in law said that many factories around here do that. I was totally shocked because I thought he was lying about that at first.
@saivenkaat802003 (4823)
• India
8 Jul 07
Whatever habit that one teaches to the young ones,will get contaminated by the society in which he mingles upon. It may be his friends, family, office working atmosphere..
The extra break which your son, says may be the reason that he FITS, into for his smoking habit, which he had developed, and nothing else other than that.
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
8 Jul 07
I would tend to think this also, but we have never seen him smoke. He will go out with his brothers on the boat all day~ like 8 hours and he never smokes around them. I would think if he were a smoker, he would have to smoke in an 8 hour period.
1 person likes this
@butterfly39 (3904)
• Philippines
10 Jul 07
YES, and the only thing can let our children understand how bad is smoking are the parents.
It's hard to teach them not to smoke if they see their parents smoking, so it's better not to smoke so the kids will follow and understand why.
2 people like this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
10 Jul 07
This is what is so strange. MY husband and I don't smoke, our parents don't smoke, our siblings don't smoke~ but my nephews do smoke and so does my son. My sister and I were just saying how we can't understand why they would smoke since they grew up hearing how harmful it is and no one else in the family smokes.
1 person likes this
@Meatballsurgery (140)
• Sweden
8 Jul 07
Smoking or drinking coffe is the two most common resons for extra breaks.
2 people like this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
8 Jul 07
That is really not right. I don't work outside if the home, but if I did, I would be screwed from the breaks since I don't do either.
1 person likes this
@neon2000 (2756)
• Philippines
9 Jul 07
Smoking is really an unhealthy thing with many people because of its effect to our health. But would you get angry if smoker would tell you you mind your own business not theirs? Keep distance if you don't want to get involve with them unless they brag you into smoking. I do not smoke but I don't want to get along with smokers when they smoke.
@mouse27 (1155)
• Canada
9 Jul 07
it is kinda rediculas but at the same time the companies that do this have bosses that smoke so they just pick and chose your son doesn't have to smoke to get the breaks he can just go on the breaks all he needs to do is when he needs 5 minutes just say he needs 5 minutes for his head to clear. i don't think your son is smoking for the breaks . i think he's smoking because no matter what you teach them as a child they still have to try things as adults
1 person likes this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
10 Jul 07
Very good point! I do believe that curiosity got the best of him and this was a good excuse for him.
@bellcross (40)
• Malaysia
9 Jul 07
As we all know, smoking is bad to health. The question is why people still smoking? This because they have become addicted. So as the adult, we should forbid the kids from smoking, before they become addicted. Besides, we also give more them more explainations about the effects of ciggerette. Tell them what will happen to their health if they still smoking as their habit. My point here is "Prevention is better than cure".
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
9 Jul 07
Much easier said than done my friend. I thought I was preventing when I drilled it into him all those years how harmful smoking is.
