How to keep your kids from smoking
Smoking is a huge problem for an increasing number of young people. As children reach a point in their life where they feel like they are no longer a child but want to be an adult, they become susceptible to negative influences that they perceive as adult, mature, and sophisticated. Tobacco companies and Hollywood influences have a huge impact on the image that your child will have about smoking. As a parent, it is your job to educate your children. You are responsible for teaching your children that not everything that they see is going to be good. With all of the other influences in your child's life that will strive to pull him or her down, you must be the voice that your kids listen to above all others.
You knew when you first decided to have children that you would be faced with many difficult topics and dangers that you would have to talk to your kids about. But where do you start? There is no perfect way to keep your kids from smoking. However, some helpful suggestions are listed below.
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Talk to your kids
As uncomfortable or awkward it may be you have to be the one to instigate the conversation about the dangers of smoking. There is no perfect opportunity and you cannot expect your children to be the ones who approach you with the topic. You need to be the adult and put for the effort tot teach your kids. You should start young. Kids are often times much smarter than we give them credit for. You may be surprised at how young your children may be when topics such as drugs, alcohol, and smoking become very real temptations for them. Instill in your children the principles that you believe will make them safe and happy at a young age. As they grow, they will know where you stand on the topic of smoking and will have the information that they need to make this very important decision on their own.
Use stories
As humans, and especially when we are children, we tend to be visual learners. Keep this is mind as a powerful medium in which to impact your children. Make it real to them. Use hands on examples to show your kids what smoking will do to your lungs. Allow them to feel tar (in a safe environment and at a safe temperature of course) and ask them if they think it would be easy to breathe if that were in their lungs. If you yourself have had problems with smoking in the past, express to your children the regrets that you have for ever going down that road. Allow them to learn from your mistakes.
Health and financial repercussions
Don't be shy about explaining what terrible things smoking can do to your body. Cancer, lung disease, bad breath, stinky clothes, whatever you can think of! Inform your kids of all of the risks that they will be taking on their life if they choose to smoke even once. Because many kids do not yet have a mature understanding of finances use more meaningful examples of how much a life of smoking will really cost them in the end. Of course the ages of your kids will determine what kinds of examples are most impact, but an example would be showing your kids how many candy bars you can buy for the same price as just one package of cigarettes and that some people go through 2, 3, 4 and even more packs in a single day.
Youth oriented websites
There are a number of youth oriented websites that may provide helpful information for both you and your children. The links below provide information about the dangers of smoking in a format that was made to be used by young people.
http://www.thetruth.com/
http://www.tobaccofacts.org/tob_truth/index.html
