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Puffing Up
Taking a Stand on Youth Cigarette Smoking
By Shel Franco
"Parents who think they can prevent their children from smoking cigarettes are fooling themselves," she says. "The illusion of having the power to do this can lead to endless lectures on the evils of smoking, which can actually drive children toward the vice."
Instead of waiting to find cigarettes in your child's coat pocket or the smell of smoke in her hair, Cohen-Posey suggests that you start now by finding out what your child knows about the reasons for not smoking. "You may be surprised about how well informed they are," she says. "Ask if they know of other kids who smoke and what they think of it. Be sure not to sound judgmental, because you want to hear their opinion and give them space to think."
If you find yourself beating the lung cancer topic into the ground, you need to beef up on your reasons for not smoking. According to the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, many health consequences are more immediately aware. For example:
- Smoking causes bad breath and makes smokers' homes and clothes stink, and, perhaps fortunately for smokers, it also reduces their sense of smell.
- Beyond smoke- or nicotine-stained teeth, smokers are also more likely to suffer from periodontal disease and to have more serious periodontal diease, including tooth loss.