How can moms keep their children from smoking?
— As a parent, you are one of the most important persons in a child’s life, especially when it comes to cigarettes. You can make a big difference in the choices your kids make.
— If you smoke, quit. If you can’t quit, keep trying. Children from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves, but parents who try to quit and talk to their kids about how addictive smoking is, why they want to quit and how important it is to never start, can beat those odds.
— Maintain a totally smoke-free home and car (even if you smoke).
— Educate your child about the dangers of cigarette smoking.
— Talk about addiction and how hard it is to quit smoking.
— Emphasize the immediate health effects.
— Emphasize the effects of smoking on physical appearance.
— Talk to your kids about how tobacco companies target them by trying to make tobacco use seem cool so they can addict them as customers for life
— Listen to what your child says and does about smoking and encourage your child when he/she makes good choices.
— Ask your child about his/her friends and their attitudes toward smoking. Discuss peer pressure and how to deal with it effectively.
— Clear up any misunderstandings your child might have about smoking. For example, everybody is not doing it, getting hooked can happen very quickly and quitting is very difficult.
— Make sure your kids’ schools have strong and well-enforced no-smoking rules for kids and staff.
— Support federal, state and local tobacco-prevention efforts like higher tobacco taxes, funding for tobacco prevention programs, and smoke-free laws.
If you are looking for assistance with becoming a nonsmoker, please contact the Health Department at 744-4482 or visit the website at www.clarkhealthdept.org for more information on our services.
The Health Department offers the Cooper Clayton Method to Stop Smoking class with the next class starting on July 10.
There is a new online tool for Kentucky residents called Quit Now Kentucky, www.quitnowkentucky.org, that offers a free online cessation program, health facts and information on the 1-800-QUIT-NOW telephone line
Information in this article is from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
