How should I talk about smoking to my child?
Trying to convince teens not to smoke because of the long-term health consequences doesn’t work. Kids at this age think they’re invincible. And they think they can quit any time they want.
Instead, talk about the negative affects now.
- Describe the effects of smoking on general attractiveness, such as bad breath, yellow teeth and smelly clothes and hair.
- Explain how smoking can cause a chronic cough and less energy for enjoyable activities.
- Have your child calculate the cost of a pack-a-day smoking habit and talk about what other things that money could have been used for.
Be clear about your expectations. Tell your child that smoking is not allowed. You may think your teen isn’t listening, but say it anyway. Teens whose parents set the firmest limits, and enforce consequences, are less likely to smoke.
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What if my child is already smoking?
According to the 2007 survey of Chesterfield youths, average first-time use of cigarettes was 12.9 years. By the senior year, one in five teens was smoking at least once a month. Seventeen percent were smoking a half-pack or more a day.
But there is help. Since 2004, the Chesterfield County Health Department has offered a teen smoking cessation program – Not on Tobacco (N-O-T) – in selected high schools in Chesterfield County. The overall reported quit rate is 27 percent, greater than the national average for this program. Even students who continue to smoke after participating in this program have benifitted. In Chesterfield, 56 percent of these students decreased the number of cigarettes they were smoking.
If your teen is smoking and is interested in quitting, contact the school nurse at your child’s high school to see if the program is being offered there this year.
You can also encourage your teen to quit by discussing ways to help your teen stop smoking. Read more...
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