<I think one would have to believe that a smoking environment is more harmful to a child's health and well being than foster care.>
Holly, you are probably right about a smoking environment being more harmful than foster care to a child. But what about parents who smoke NOT smoking around their children? In this discussion about smokers' "rights" (I think people have rights to smoke, but only where it harms NO ONE, because after that point they are infringing on the rights of others), does it occur to anyone that a parent can smoke, but go outside to do so?
To me, the absurdity of the in-your-face smokers' arguments is most clearly apparent on this issue. There have been two brief periods of time since I became a parent, when I was under a lot of stress, that I smoked. I never would have even considered doing it around my child. I cannot even understand why a parent would ever smoke around a child, and the fact that there are numerous health problems caused by parental smoking is obvious, and does make it an abusive parenting practice.
NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS -
QUITTING SMOKING IS A GREAT GIFT TO GIVE YOUR
CHILD
From the desk of Peter A. Gorski, MD
October is the American Academy of Pediatrics'
Child Health Month. This year, the Academy is
kicking off a three-year campaign focusing on
substance abuse. Throughout the campaign, the
Academy will concentrate on how to help people
who care for children recover from substance
abuse and on how to protect children from its
harmful effects. For more information, visit the
Academy's web site at www.aap.org.
Peter A. Gorski, MD, MPA, is Executive Director of the Massachusetts
Caring for Children Foundation and Director of Professional Education
at the Brazelton Institute, both in Boston. Dr. Gorski is an Advisory Board
member of the Pampers Parenting Institute and serves on the Executive
Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. To celebrate the Academy's
Child Health Month, he urges all parents, teachers and caregivers to stop
smoking - if not for themselves, then for their children.
Having a baby in the house stirs up overwhelming feelings of love and
responsibility for parents. You want to give your baby the best of
everything. If you're a smoker, one of the greatest gifts you can give your
baby is to stop smoking.
Most smokers already understand that quitting cigarettes is good for
their own health. And even they would be horrified to think that their
children smoke. But when you smoke, your child smokes, too. That's
because researchers are finding that just being around tobacco smoke
is harmful. Here are just a few reasons to make your child's life
smoke-free:
The best time to quit smoking is anytime at all. But quitting before
your baby is born may be even better. Your baby's health begins
even before you become pregnant. Non-smoking women have healthier
babies. Studies show that women who smoke have a greater chance of
having low-birthweight babies or babies with health problems. Smoking
reduces blood flow from mother to baby, cutting off the baby's supply of
oxygen and nutrients. Non-smoking women also generally feel better
during pregnancy.
Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to prevent Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS) because smoke puts babies at risk for
SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is the leading cause of
death in infants. Babies in smoking households are at least twice as
likely to die of SIDS than babies in smoke-free households. Babies
whose parents smoke more than a pack a day may be as much as four
times more likely to die of SIDS.
Quitting smoking can keep your child healthier because children
of smokers are sick more often and with more ailments. Studies
show that smoking makes all kinds of health problems worse for kids.
Children whose parents smoke have more ear infections and worse
allergies than children of non-smokers. And smokers' children are more
likely to suffer from a variety of respiratory problems, including asthma,
bronchitis and pneumonia.
Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to prevent a fire in your
home. Each year, hundreds of children are killed or injured in burning
homes. Cigarettes, and the matches and lighters used to light them, are
major causes of house fires.
Quitting smoking prevents injuries. Babies move around
unpredictably and could be burned by cigarettes in an instant. And with a
cigarette in your hand, you may not be able to scoop your child out of
danger.
Kicking the habit will leave you less tense and helps give you
more patience. Smokers often mistakenly believe that cigarettes calm
them down. But nicotine addiction is more likely to make you tense. This
strains your relationship with your child and makes it harder for you to
build a secure emotional base for your family.
Quitting will allow you to spend more time with your child
because you'll live a longer, healthier life - and so will he.
Non-smokers not only live longer on average than smokers, but they're
also more often free of horrible long-term illnesses like emphysema, lung
cancer and chronic health problems. Plus, non-smokers' children are
more likely to be non-smokers themselves when they grow up.
Smoking stinks and keeps people away from you. Make yourself
and your home more inviting by not smoking. Parents of infants need
support from other adults, who will be more comfortable in a smoke-free
house. And as your child grows, other parents will be happier to send
their children over to play.
If you think about it, you could probably come up with even more reasons
to quit smoking for your baby's sake. When you give your baby the
advantage of breathing clean air, you also give him his earliest and
healthiest inspiration.
These days, you can find lots of support to stop smoking. Ask your health
care provider for help, especially if you're pregnant. Other resources
include:
American Cancer Society
1-800-TRY-TO-STOP
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