NEWS: New Study: Smoking While Pregnant Linked To Badly Behaved Children.

Really? Gee I thought it was the divorces, or maybe the "ultra liberal" social conditions. or maybe the video games, or maybe the food they eat, or maybe the vaccines they gave them when they were youngers, or maybe the anti-social behavior that THE ADULTS exhibited during the nighttime while they splept (or tried to) by drinking by gathering at the nearby house till 3 in the morning, drinking their booze, and yelling obsenities at each other up and down the street!!! I also suspect that the demise of the extended family, accompanied by the extra financial pressure put on families boosting the need for two incomes (or more). The lead paint in the houses?? The tendancy to find an excuse to place the blame elsewhere? The fact that our pollution is causing their lungs to develope abnormally...(less oxygen to the brain ya know!!). DNA breakdown?? Violent and obnoxious TV shows? Cops that are afraid to go into your neighborhood?? Bullies?
well, I'm running out of time here, so I'll stop listing now....just how many things do you think they can use tobacco smokers as a scapegoat for?? anyone wanna take some bets?

by the way, my kids are a little screwy, and well, I didn't smoke when I was pregnant!!! And, well, the number of smoking pregnant ladies was more than likely much, much higher when I was growing up. My mom smoked, doubt very much if she quit just to have me......and well, I was very well disciplined, as were most of the other kids I knew..
I think they need to look elsewhere.

here's the real truth behind this whole flap:

Psychology is *not* an exact science. Nor does it hold credit with the scientific method because actual experimentation is societal taboo.

The best they can do is observation, interpreted through individual biases, and try to come up with conclusions that match observed phenomena. However, there are so many invisible, unknown, and/or unmonitored conditions that affect a given behavior that a small scale test is worse than worthless.

Time and time again we see individuals raised under (to the observer) exact conditions but see completely different reactions, results, and behaviors. What "severely traumatizes" one child and turns them into a social reject, serves to strengthen and temper another. Conditions that turn one adult into a weasely, thieving, lazy welfare case turn another from the same neighborhood and same culture into a self-made millionaire.

Here's a study I've just conducted. Breathing oxygen can cause your child to become a mass murderer-100% of all mass murderers had mothers who inhaled *oxygen* at some time during the pregnancy!

It's all about the spin. I could also try to market oxygen ("Perri-Air" for all you Mel Brooks fans) and make perfectly accurate claims that says "100% of all saints, humaitarians, genuises, and billionaires were born to mothers who inhaled oxygen at some point during their pregnancy!"

As many have pointed out, unless there's actual x-ray/ultrasound/dissection or some sort of direct observation of brain developement, inside and outside a control group, the study is practially meaningless. Even without these observations, you still risk a "Schroedinger's Cat" situation where taking observations may affect the behavior.

Edison comes to mind, as being an out of control, ill behaved, little punk. A good bit of smacking around by adults tired of his crap (up to an "unintentional" arson incident) and became one of the (if not *the*) most prolific inventors in American history. And actually invented useful stuff too.

The down side is smart kids learn to manipulate others quickly. I have friends who have a son who's too smart for his own good-plays the "lawyer game" to get out of trouble, schoolwork, chores, or things he'd promised to do to help his folks in exchange for allowance money-he's become lazy and selfish and is only ten years old. Seems to be doing well for politics and it makes me sad to see the wasted potential.

Smart kids are tough to raise-you gotta be smarter than them..but if you can "turn their powers to good" then it's even more rewarding. You gotta stay on them and be strong and never let your guard down. Even more so in this day and age.

Hang in there And remember a little trick I've used (and my mom used against me)-a parent has leverage-go after the things that stimulate their minds and work the psychological warfare angle-guilt trips even if you have to-much more effective than any physical discipline. Never be afraid to lock up or sell off the Atari/PS2/Xbox/computer to get your way!

Originally posted by Mayet
Damn I didn't smoke...yet my kids are out of control and anti social

Actually they are just very smart and get bored fast unless they are doing something with their minds or hands....

ADHD does exist, its just been overused and over diagnosed for every child who doesn't fit the mould.

[edit on 2-8-2005 by Phugedaboudet]