When Your Teen Wants To Smoke

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

22 Jan 2007 11:08 AM

Too many teens are tempted to try smoking for various reasons. Maybe they want to fit in with the rest of the smokers. Maybe they want to look older. Maybe they like the thrill of doing something they shouldn't.

If you want to guide your teen away from smoking, the following tips can be useful:

1. Be open and honest about the dangers of smoking. There are plenty of places to find information about what smoking does to your body. Start here.
2. Start talking to your children about smoking at a very young age. You don't have to make it scary, but be honest.
3. Let your children ask questions about smoking and try not to be judgmental. Curiosity is natural. If you freak out, it's not going to help anyone.
4. Don't be a hypocrite! There are as many good reasons for YOU to not smoke as there are for your children to not start. If you don't want your children to smoke, think about quitting yourself.
5. Make (and keep) strict rules in your household about not smoking and not bringing in tobacco products. Don't let friends smoke in your house or in your car.
6. If your child is interested in sports, encourage him or her to stick with it. Show your child information about how smoking can lessen lung function, making it harder to keep up with physical activity.
7. Focus on the positive. A child who is self-confident may not feel the need to smoke just to fit in.

I remember a Calvin & Hobbes comic where Calvin found a cigarette someone had left behind after a visit. He asked his mom if he could smoke it, and to his surprise, she said yes! (She did stipulate that he had to do it outside.) Calvin was telling Hobbes how cool his mom was for letting him smoke when he takes his first puff... and immediately turns green and starts choking. Hobbes sagely comments: "You'd think this would be an easy habit to break."

You may not want to teach your teen how bad smoking is by giving out cigarettes... but it worked for Calvin.

For further reading:

• Heather's quitting journey starts here...
• The truth about secondhand smoke
• Your body starts to change as soon as you stop smoking

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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