It's a fact that children who smoke become adults who smoke. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, almost 90 percent of adult smokers started puffing before the age of 18, and more than 5 million kids alive right now will eventually die from a smoking-related disease. If you are like most parents, you would probably do anything in your power to keep your child from smoking. While you can't prevent your child from taking that first puff, you can take some steps to help her make the right choices.
Step 1
Tell your child you disapprove of smoking. You may feel like your child already knows how you feel, but it is important to state your feelings explicitly. According to KidsHealth, a parent's disapproval may prevent a child from smoking.
Step 2
Teach by example. Show your child you can live smoke-free. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children of smokers are twice as likely as other kids to smoke.
Step 3
Start early when it comes to talking to your child about smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises parents to start talking to children about the hazards of cigarette smoking when the kids are about 5 or 6 years old, and to keep talking all the way through high school.
Step 4
Give your child real-life examples of how smoking affects lives. Discuss how smoking impacts the overall health and physical appearance of family and friends who smoke.
Step 5
Emphasize the short-term effects of cigarette smoking when you talk to your child. Children may find it difficult to care about the ways tobacco impacts health as an adult but may not want to go to school with bad breath and smoker's cough.
Step 6
Talk to your child about the cost of smoking. Give examples of what types of toys and activities your child would have to give up to purchase cigarettes.
Step 7
Encourage your child to get involved in sports. Your child may not want to start smoking if it means sacrificing his abilities on the playing field.
Tips and Warnings
- Talk to your child about why the tobacco companies might want to portray smoking as fun and glamorous. Discuss how this image of smoking differs from reality, and the ways advertising can influence public perception.
- Do not underestimate the role peer pressure can play in smoking. Talk to your child about how to say no to smoking and what to do around friends who smoke.
References
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Research Center: You Need to Know the Truth
- Mayo Clinic: Teen Smoking: 10 Ways to Help Teens Stay Smoke-Free
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Children and Tobacco
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Tobacco Use: Youth and Tobacco
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: How Parents Can Protect Their Kids From Becoming Addicted Smokers
