Smoking is bad for you, so you don’t smoke. Or maybe you do, but either way, you love your kids more and don’t want your children to smoke, so are interesting in learning about teaching children not to smoke. Well, I’m here to help you keep your little treasures healthy!
Teaching Children Not To Smoke (even if you do)
* Step one in teaching children not to smoke is to make your stance on smoking (No smoking!) very clear, and be sure to explain that this includes all forms of tobacco (flavored cigarettes, snuff, smokeless tobacco products, cigars, etc).
* Look for signs of tobacco use, such as smoke smell, wrappers, burn holes, stains on teeth or fingers, bad breath, etc.
* Talk to your children about their friends…if their friends smoke, they are much more likely to try it out. Be aware of what kind of friends your children are making. Teaching children not to smoke sometimes takes a village.
* Pay attention to athletics-involved children too…children who are involved in organized sports may be less likely to smoke cigarettes, but are just as likely to try smokeless tobacco products.
* Explain to your child the different forms that tobacco comes in, and explain that it is dangerous and equally addictive in all forms. Children who think flavored, imported cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes are seven times more likely to try them.
* Spend time talking to your child about your stance against their using cigarettes, even if you smoke. Children of parents who smoke but are opposed to their children doing so are much less likely than children whose parents do not take a stance at all. (I can verify this…I’m from a family of smokers, but abided by my parents no-smoking rule).
* Spend lots of time together as a family helps in teaching children not to smoke. Children who spend lots of time with their parents are less likely to smoke or even try smoking.
It’s wonderful that you love your children enough to want to find ways in teaching children not to smoke, and I hope these tips help!