Smoking:
Have you ever smoked? Do you smoke
now? Do you like smoking now or do you wish that you could stop?
I know that this section is supposed to
be discussing issues around teenagers smoking but your attitude and
habits around smoking are very likely to influence your teenager.
Despite what many of them say, they do
tend to admire their parents and carers and seek their approval. As a
result of this they watch parents and carers closely as well as
listening to what they say. If you say one thing and do another they
are likely to become somewhat confused.
If you enjoy smoking but do not wish
your child to smoke you will need to calmly discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of smoking with them. If anyone does smoke they do
so for a variety of reasons and the smoking must serve the in some
way for them to continue with the habit.
The NHS in UK offers a useful and clear
website that gives good reasons for teens to quit smoking as well as
suggesting ways to do it:
If you help your teenager to access the
facts and then make their own mind up, you are more likely to be able
to positively influence them.
If you are anti-smoking and you find
that your teenager is smoking, it can be hard to remain calm but the
more reasonably you can discuss the subject with your teenager, the
more likely they are to listen and respond positively to you.
It is likely that a lot of their peers
smoke and this is likely to influence their behaviour.
It is important to discuss your
attitudes to smoking with your partner if you have one. It may be
that you have similar views or your views may differ greatly. Try and
establish a compromise so that you can discuss the issue with your
teenager in a united way.
Discuss the issue of smoking at a time
when all is calm and then you are more likely to make progress.
Agree some fair and reasonable house
rules and have agreed consequences for rule breaking. It may be that
you give your teenager pocket money but if you discover them smoking
you will stop their pocket money for an agreed period of time.
I have said it before but it is worth
repeating that it is not the severity of a consequence that causes
impact but the certainty that the consequence will be followed
through.
Try and avoid 'locking horns!'
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