Talking to your Kids About Tobacco Use

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Talking to your Kids About Tobacco Use

• Parents Family Members
• Can Make A Difference!

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Can a parents attitude about tobacco influence a
childs likelihood to use?

• YES! Research tells us the value that you as a
  parent place on a tobacco-free lifestyle
  regardless of whether you use tobacco-can have a
  significant influence on whether your child will
  use or even try tobacco.

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• If your child believes that you would be upset
  and disappointed if s/he smoked, your child is
  less likely to smoke (even if both parents
  smoke!). So
• It is critical to be able to talk to your
  children often and from an early age about the
  health risks of smoking and how you value them
  not using tobacco.
• Lets take a look at some conversation
  starters

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Conversation Starters

• Be on the lookout for good opportunities to
  initiate discussions about tobacco use. It may be
  while you are driving them to sports practice, at
  dinnertime, while watching television or at
  bedtime. Be sure to keep your words and ideas at
  an age level they can understand.

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Ages 6-8 Its never too early to start the
conversation!

• What have they taught you in school about the
  dangers of smoking?
• If you see someone put out a cigarette or see
  cigarette buts on the ground, comment on how you
  feel about that and ask your kids what they think.

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Ages 9-11 Continue talking often about the
subject

• Why do you think some teenagers smoke even
  though it is so dangerous?
• When you see other kids smoking, make it clear
  that you dont approve of young people having
  cigarettes.
• Why do you think we have laws that do not allow
  smoking in public places?

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Ages 12-15

• What do you think when you see kids smoking?
• What are some good reasons you might give your
  own child for not smoking?
• When youre watching a movie or tv show together
  where a character smokes, wait until after the
  show and ask, What did you think about that
  character who always had a cigarette dangling
  from their mouth?

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Regardless of their age.

• Say I dont want you to smoke.
• Be direct.
• Let them know your reasons.
• Talk about real facts - just saying smoking is
  bad for you is not enough.
• Learn about the dangers of tobacco use there
  are plenty of free resources to help you get the
  facts.

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How do you make the risks of smoking more real
and immediate?

• If you have a friend or relative who is suffering
  the health effects of smoking, ask them to talk
  to your child about why smoking was not worth it.
• When you watch TV or a movie together, and see
  smoking portrayed as harmless or even glamorous,
  point out how the opposite is true.

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Focus on the social issues

• Young people have difficulty caring about what
  could happen to their health in 20 years but
  they do care more about the smell in their hair,
  clothes and breath.
• Help them understand the financial costs of
  supporting a cigarette habit.
• Remind them that MOST young people DO NOT use
  tobacco!!

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What else can I do?

• Expose your child to anti-smoking advertising
  campaigns when you find an ad that makes
  smoking look disgusting, point it out to your
  child.
• Help your child find anti-smoking websites and
  look at them together.
• Start a conversation by asking what s/he has
  learned about the health risks associated with
  smoking.
• Practice with them saying no to tobacco.

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Sometimes parents get asked some pretty tough
questions. Lets look at a few of those and how
you might answer.
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Q1 - If smoking is so bad for you, why do you
smoke?

• A1- The sneaky thing about smoking is this When
  you start, you think you can quit at anytime.
  But I can tell you that its very hard to stop.
  So dont get started. I wish I never would have.
• A2- If you want to quit and can commit to
  following-thru with a sincere effort, you may
  want to say, Youre right. Ill make a deal
  with you. Ill promise to quit, if you promise
  to never start.
• Remember-one of the most important things you can
  do is tell your child you do not want him/her to
  smoke. Second, dont smoke around your child.

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Q2 -Why are you making such a big deal about
this? Its not like doing drugs.

• Tobacco can be just as dangerous as anything out
  there. Im making a big deal out of this because
  I love you and I dont want you to be one of the
  4 million teens who will eventually die from a
  tobacco related illness.

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Where to go for more help

• keepkidsfromsmoking.com
• tobaccofreekids.com
• smokefreefamilies.org
• smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu
• cdc.gov/tobacco
• nih.gov