Keeping children smoke-free

Rita Aman

Rita Aman, Medicine Hat Community Health Services

The start of another school year reminds us how fast children grow up. The years go by so quickly when our kids are in school. It feels like just yesterday that I was taking my little ones to Kindergarten with their heavy backpacks on, and now they’ve already graduated. New school years are often exciting, hectic times as families settle into new routines, teachers, friends and schools. There might also be new peer pressures - like the temptation to try tobacco.

As parents, we want to ensure our children make good, healthy choices and stay safe. The decision to be tobacco-free is one of the most important choices they can make. As our children get older and become more independent, other role models like friends and siblings can influence their choices. Peer pressure is evident at all ages but really starts to build in the early teens. Between the ages of 12 to 14, one in three Canadian youth experiment with tobacco, and many will transition from experimentation to occasional use on weekends or at parties. These children often have friends who smoke and might experiment as a way to fit in or a misguided attempt to deal with stress.

The most important step you can take to help your children stay tobacco-free is to talk about it openly. Don’t assume they know about the dangers of tobacco; provide them with the facts. Even if you are a smoker, you can still positively influence your children’s choices about tobacco use. Children and teens often don’t understand and underestimate the power of nicotine addiction and how extremely hard it is to quit. Share your first-hand experience of how this addiction affects the family budget and your personal health and lifestyle. Talk to your children about how you got hooked. And if you’ve tried to quit, tell them about that experience as well. Research shows that when parents who smoke talk to their children about their addiction, the children are much less likely to smoke themselves.

And while it’s true that children of parents who don’t smoke are less likely to take up the habit, the temptation to use tobacco still exists, so it’s still important to regularly talk about the dangers of smoking and tobacco. Discussions should include information on how to deal with peer pressure, healthy ways to cope with stress and how tobacco use can interfere with any goals and values your children might have.

And it’s vital to continue discussing tobacco use as your children grow. Your conversations will need to evolve to reflect your child’s growing maturity and the pressures they’re facing. Show them you believe in their ability to make good decisions about their health. Support and celebrate their choice to be tobacco free.

And just a reminder: not only is it illegal to sell cigarettes to Canadian youth, but according to the Prevention of Youth Tobacco Act, anyone under the age of 18 found with tobacco or smoking in a public place can also be fined up to $100.00.

Every day, youth are faced with the choice of whether or not to try tobacco. Unfortunately, many of them will become regular users. But as a parent, you have the ability to help your child choose a tobacco-free lifestyle.

Rita Aman is a health promotion facilitator at Medicine Hat Community Health Services and can be reached at 403-502-8224 or email Rita.Aman@albertahealthservices.ca or visit www.albertaquits.ca.