Parents who smoke should be found unfit to be parents..., page 1


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Topic started on 20-2-2011 @ 10:09 PM by JaxonRoberts
First of all, let me admit that I am the child of smokers, and that I myself smoked for over 26 years, including the years when my daughter was growing up. I have since quit, and this has changed my perspective on the issue, as I no longer feel the need to defend my addiction. And that is what smoking is, an addiction. It is as strong, if not stronger than any coc aine or crystal meth addiction, and very hard to break. That said, let me move into the topic at hand...

Any parent SHOULD ask themselves which is more important, your 'habit' or your children. Let's first look at the health impact that face the children of smokers:

According to the Surgeon General:

•Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke.

•Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke.

•Mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have lower birth weight babies, which makes babies weaker and increases the risk for many health problems.

•Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, which increases the risk for many health problems.

•Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children.


CDC: Children and Second Hand Smoke

Now this alone should be enough to get any parent to give up the butts, but let's look at some of the other effects that our smoking habit has on our children:

The children of cigarette smokers face an especially murky future, according to the University of Washington study published in the current issue of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

"If your parents were smokers it is a double whammy because you are more likely to use drugs in general and even more likely to smoke cigarettes," said Karl Hill, a research associate professor at the UW's Social Development Research Group and co-author of the new study. "There is something about tobacco that if parents smoke, their kids are more likely to smoke. It may be that parents who smoke might leave cigarettes around where their children can see and get to them. Parents may not leave marijuana and alcohol around in the same way."

medicalnewstoday.com

The article goes on to further state that:

"Children of smokers, heavy drinkers or marijuana users are more likely to have behavior problems when they are young, and consequently more likely to have drug problems themselves as they get old," said Jennifer Bailey, lead author of the study and a UW research scientist. "These children then grow up to be adult substance users, whose kids have behavior problems and the cycle is repeated."


This is not even considering the financial impact that such an addiction has, and once your children have grown up, they then get the increased chance of having to take care of an ailing parent who has emphysema, heart problems or cancer. Considering the myriad of problems the nicotine addiction inflicts upon the children of those addicted to this legal drug, it most certainly SHOULD be considered grounds for finding such parents as unfit to raise children...

So what's more important, your kids or your habit?
edit on Sun Jun 12 2011 by DontTreadOnMe because: shortened quoted material



reply posted on 20-2-2011 @ 10:25 PM by FPB214
reply to post by JaxonRoberts


I agree with you, because im 19 and have lived with my mother smoking for years. It's gotten to the point where I bi*** at her to not do it in the house. I mean, how hard is it to go outside? Although she does go outside somewhat, she still smokes in the house quite a bit. Her excuse, like last week, was "My parents smoked in the house the whole time I was growing up, and look were still here." My grandparents are pretty healthy, and my mom is 47. She's been smoking since she was younger than me.

When I was in 10th-11th grade that's when I smoked the most, even then though I wasn't a constant smoker. Usually B&M's and a few cigarettes. I've since stopped doing it, and really only do it every so often, like last night I had half of a Skydancer. At least they are 100% natural though. That was probably the first time in weeks though.

Either way, I just hate it now. Not so much the smoking, just the smoke filling up the place I live in. The stench is the worst when first lit. I will say this though, my bedroom window has literally been contantly open for over a year. Its open now, and will be open for the rest of the year. It may be a waste of electricity, but i'd rather get clean fresh air, and a way for the smoke to filter out then have it contained in one area. Thing that sucks, is I live in Florida, and during the summer its so humid and nasty out, but I just ignore it.

*snip* I rarely smoke in my house, and enjoy going outdoors much better, at least I get fresh air and (at night) get to look at the stars. I believe its not good for you, but I think between my fan running and windows open that might make it a little better. I hope sometimes though that nothing happens to me later in life because of this, but at the same time everyone will die oneday from something and today we probably interact with things that can give you cancer everyday.

Mod Note: Removed reference to recreational drug use.
edit on 2/21/2011 by maria_stardust because: (no reason given)

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