Page:Your teenage children and smoking.djvu/11



If you smoke and are not able to stop smoking, be frank with your children about that. Tell them that you wish you could stop, but that you can't. Tell them that you hope they will never get themselves in such a fix. Tell them that when you started to smoke you didn't have the facts that you now have; that it is possible you have cut off years of life by your own smoking.

Say that it is so hard to give up cigarettes that that in itself is one good argument for never starting smoking.

Along with the words, make as strong an effort as possible to at least cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke. Try to stop inhaling so much and so deeply.

If you make a bargain with your child about his not smoking or your not smoking, never break your end of it.

Many parents, who are continuing to smoke cigarettes, try not to smoke before their young children. They do not leave cigarettes lying around. They never let their young children play with cigarettes, or light their cigarette or blow out the match.

Some smoking and nonsmoking parents have ground rules about smoking, just as they have about alcoholic drinks for their children.

Even though a parent may allow his child to smoke, he should require that son or daughter abide by community rules for smoking by never violating a "no smoking" sign.

Parents may take many steps to prevent their child from smoking. It is unlikely that these steps will be successful unless the child is convinced and makes up his own mind.