It’s pretty obvious that what’s being done just isn’t working, is it?
We have kids that believe they’re invincible and that getting cancer wont happen to them.
All the pictures of blackened lungs, the commercials with the girl using the artificial voice box, they’re laughed off like a joke. It won’t happen to THIS kid.
The biggest mistake that parents make is not discussing smoking with their children earlier. They think, “Well, they won’t really consider smoking until they’re in high school, so I won’t talk about it until then.” (The same approach is why sex education is failing our children miserably, but that’s another article for another blog.)
You should begin talking about smoking as soon as your child is old enough to notice people smoking. This doesn’t mean dragging out the black lung pictures and scaring the %#*! out of your kid. That’s a bit extreme.
Discussions should be tailored to the maturity level of the child and should be tied to something the child has seen or experienced recently. With the correct timing and appropriate information, your child will build up the knowledge and (more importantly) gut belief that smoking is not for them.
Children in early elementary school are NOT too young to be told about smoking. However, stick to basic descriptions rather than health risks.
If a TV show has a smoker, point out that it’s “stinky” or “gross.” This helps cement the idea in your child’s mind that smoking is not cool, but gross. (Be prepared for awkward encounters if you have friends that smoke – this is par for the course!!)
In late elementary school, you can start talking about anti-smoking commercials from print media like magazines or ads on TV. Keep it from being a lecture, just talk about the message of the commercial and the imagery that helps make the point. (You can do this with other commercials too and teach
your child to be an informed consumer!)
Towards the end of elementary school, it’s appropriate to find anti-smoking websites and look at them with your child.
Middle school is a rough time in a child’s development. They’re starting to establish an identity, and their friends play a big part in this role. At this point, smoking becomes a reality – many children try their first cigarette in middle school.
If you know someone who is suffering from a tobacco-related illness, ask them meet and talk with your middle schooler. It may seem extreme, but it’s the best way to nail home the realities of smoking. (If you’ve been working at your anti-smoking campaign since kindergarten, this won’t seem out of place to your child, just the next step in education.)
Most people suffering from these types of illness are happy to discuss how they wish they had never started smoking – which is exactly the message your child needs to hear.
The most important element to anti-smoking education is to let your kids know exactly how you feel about smoking.
Studies have shown something cool about this:
If you tell your child from a young age that you would be really upset if they took up smoking, then they’re less likely to start smoking. Frame it as part of your love for them. You love them and want them to be healthy and live a long life. It would upset you greatly to see them doing something that will shoot down their health.
Parents can sometimes feel frustrated when it comes to relating to teenagers and teenagers feel frustrated trying to relate to their parents.
Here’s what drags in teenagers to convince them to start smoking:
- Being part of a group or like a friend.
- Looking “cool”.
- Rebelling against strict parents.
- Feeling and looking older.
- Experimentation, just trying it out.
Raising a child with an inherent dislike of smoking and the knowledge about its consequences is only part of the battle. The other part is showing your children that you understand what it’s like to be a teenager, listening to them when they talk to you, and accepting them for who they are.
Help your kids find ways to be cool and original that don’t involve smoking.
After all, it’s better to have a daughter who is decked out in spiked leather and sporting a green mohawk than a daughter who is a smoker, right?
