How to Talk to Children About Smoking
Parenting comes with many difficult conversations and lessons to teach. Children face an increasing number of dangers and pressures, making these conversations more important than ever. Smoking and other difficult topics often work best when approached with honesty in a conversational manner, rather than a lecturing, authoritarian tone. While consequences for older kids caught smoking could end up as a possibility, starting at a young age to educate your child on the topic is a better approach.
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Instructions
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Research the harmful side effects of smoking so you have facts on your side. Everyone knows that smoking is bad but knowing specific reasons why it's bad will help you decide how to approach the topic. You'll also have this information if your children ask further questions about smoking.
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Serve as a role model for your children. If you smoke, try to kick the habit yourself. Your actions speak much louder to your children than anything you say to them. Telling them not to smoke while you're doing it yourself sends mixed signals. While trying to quit smoking, talk to your kids about the process and any difficulties you're having with it. This shows them that once you start smoking, it is often difficult to stop.
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Approach the topic in casual conversation at an early age to reinforce the message. Mention why smoking is bad, particularly focusing on the immediate effects of smoking such as shortness of breath, the smell and the negative beauty effects to teeth and nails. Focus more on the negative health reasons for not smoking rather than turning it into a bad behavior issue. Encourage your kids to ask any questions they have about smoking.
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Talk to your child about peer pressure and how other kids may try to convince her to do things she doesn't want to do. Give her strategies to avoid peer pressure such as sticking with a friend who shares the same values, walking away from the situation or changing the topic. Build your child's confidence throughout her life with positive interactions so she is more likely to stand up for herself in moments of peer pressure.
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Give your child the chance to practice saying no to cigarettes. Set up a role-playing situation that allows your child to come up with a strategy to pass up on smoking. This is a good chance to implement peer pressure resistance techniques.
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Continue talking about smoking periodically throughout your child's life. Mentioning it one time isn't enough to ingrain the message in his mind. Find situations in real life such as restaurants with smoking bans or a smoker who is coughing heavily to mention smoking.
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