Around 20 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, while each day in the United States, 3,900 teens try smoking for the first time, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Don't allow your teen to be just another statistic. By talking with your teen in a frank and mature way, while setting a good example, you can help fight teen smoking and convince your teen to never start in the first place. Luckily, resources and parental support can help your teen to make the right choices when it comes to smoking.
Step 1
Start the discussion about smoking at a young age. The American Cancer Society recommends that the discussion begin with your child is only 5 or 6 years old. Talking about the health and social effects of smoking should be an ongoing dialogue in your home so that when your child grows into a teen, your opinion on cigarettes has been made clear. The ACS notes that many children take their first puff at age 11; it's never too early to start talking about smoking.
Step 2
Point out the health, social and economical dangers of smoking to your teen. Ask why he would want to participate in a habit that makes his clothes and hair smell, his body sick and his wallet empty. Ask your teen to make a list of the various pros and cons of smoking and to weigh the costs versus the gains to make the decision on smoking on his own.
Step 3
Try role-playing exercises with your teen to ensure that she knows what to do in a situation where a cigarette is offered to her, suggests the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Pretend to be a peer and offer your child a cigarette. Remember to be as convincing as another teen might be, trying to entice your teen by saying smoking is fun, lots of people do it and it's not like he'll become addicted. Coach your teen through the things he can say to politely say "no" and leave the situation.
Step 4
Offer a good example for your teen. MayoClinic.com notes that smoking is more prevalent among teens whose parents also smoke. To set a good example, make sure that you show respect for your body and health by exercising and eating well, not only by abstaining from smoking. This shows your teen that you respect your body and want to maintain good health, ideals and values that can be passed on to your teen.
Step 5
Show your teen online resources that she can read on her own time. These resources, like the ones found at Kids Health, a division of the Nemours Foundation, and the American Academy of Family Physician's Web site, give the health risks of smoking in plain terms that your teen can understand. It may help her to see that you're not the only adult who disapproves of smoking.
