It’s considered if a child inhales cigarette’s smoke at early age, he can become an inveterate smoker in future. However even if you were able to protect your child from cigarette’s smoke at his early age, all your efforts could be in vain when your child becomes a pupil.
Firstly, it happens because more often the child is followed by the curiosity and the wish to imitate somebody.
Secondly, street and coevals have an influence on a child as well as parents. It’s noticed that the first cigarette is smoked by the child in a company, even if he doesn’t want to do it at all. Just the moment comes when the coeval’s opinion becomes more important for him.
Thirdly, a cigarette turns out to be a good assistant during conversation. It’s hard to disprove the fact that at the age of 10-14, when teenagers only begin to grasp conversation skills, smoke’s curls are found to be a life buoy. Moreover, with the help of the cigarette it becomes easier to become acquainted with coevals, it’s enough to approach somebody to ask a lighter.
Fourthly, advertising panels, which are displayed along the streets, affect the child’s perception greatly. It’s very easy to suggest any idea to the child, and he believes that buying a cigarette pack he’ll become a world’s conqueror or will be like his favorite TV-hero.
So, what can we do in order to prevent your child from smoking? Or to break off this habit if he smokes already…First of all, be patient so as the child can hear and understand you and arm yourself with theoretical knowledge to examine the problem from different aspects. And, of course, you don’t have to lose heart after just another defeat in a struggle for the health of your child.
It’s very important to keep in mind the idea that the stories about horse, dying suffering from 100gr of nicotine, about smoker’s lungs, which look like a flabby stuff by the mature age, about the lung cancer etc. will be taken in with indifference by your child, despite of the fact that some information will seem to him rather interesting.
That’s why you don’t have to read long lectures about the harmful effect of smoking. Instead of this, provide your child with short objective information, giving him a possibility to draw conclusions by himself. Remember your first «contact» with cigarette (if this event takes place in your life) and the reason urged you to take this step – tell your child about this. There is nothing to be ashamed of, and your recollections just help to create the atmosphere of total trust.
Just remember, that children are interested in events that will happen to them in the immediate future, but not in 20 years or so. Therefore, you should pay attention to your child’s and his idol’s appearance: «Yeah, your friend Jane looks strikingly with the cigarette in her hands, but what do you think about yellow deposit on her teeth?» Don’t forget to tell him that woman, who smokes, suffers from wrinkles at her early age, the problems with lungs is also inevitable during smoking (bronchitis for example).
Keep in mind, that any kind of threat and taboo doesn’t affect the school-age person. If he wants to smoke, he’ll do it. But he will do it in such a way you won’t know about this fact.
Of course, it’s ridiculous to talk with a little child about the danger of smoking. Parents have to influence their child through emotions. Pay attention to the foul air in the room where somebody smokes. Try to take your child aside from the person, who smokes, saying at the same time: «I don’t want to inhale this cigarette's smoke!»
Never criticize your child’s appearance, because such kind of remarks is fraught with consequences: your child will be convinced that he/she looks much better and more self-confident with a cigarette in his hands.
If you are a smoker – just try to get rid of this habit. Keep in mind one fact: if parents smoke, there is no question for the child either smoke or not to smoke…there is another question: when to begin?
Try to find a good school, hobby-group for your child. Keep an eye on what he does; help him to choose a congenial occupation in order not to loaf about.
If you have a daughter, explain her, that a young man, who doesn’t smoke, has more success among women, but not that one, who always has a cigarette in his mouth.
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