Dictionary For Dads

Teenagers smoking is often a gateway to other drugs. Scolding your teen may be a deterrent but will probably not influence them enough to stop smoking. Teenagers make a decision to start smoking sometimes based on what seems logical to them. These issues include but are not limited to, attempts to decrease eating and lose weight, fit in with other teens who smoke, to rebel against family members or just a way to calm a racy mind.  We encourage all parents to talk with their teen in order to discover what is behind their teenager smoking. Or better yet, use our literature to prevent nicotine and other chemical addictions from influencing your child before hand. 

• Be a good Role Model. Teen smoking is more common among teens whose parents smoke. If you smoke, quit. The do as I say not as I do model does not work! If you do smoke we suggest you make a bond with your teen to quit together.
• Help your teenager realize that they are being suckered by the nicotine companies. Sit down with them and together calculate the daily, weekly, monthly or yearly financial cost of a nicotine addiction. Highlight what the physical cost are as well as the financial costs. Make sure that they realize that over a lifetime of smoking they could actually own a mansion instead of paying for cigarettes.
• Everyone knows peer pressure is a contributing factor in teen smoking. However, the teenager either makes the decision to succumb to that pressure or not. This decision is partly dependent on if the teen has learned and develped the skills required to to not be influenced by their peers in such situations. Dictionary For Dads suggest you practice at home with your teen on how to resist peer pressure in a dignified way. Role play peer pressure situations with your teenager. Practice hypothetical peer pressure situations that may occur in the parks or school yards in your home with your teen. Teach your teenagers how to make healthy decisions for themselves based on good information from home.Teach them not to be influenced or intimadated by peers or to engage in any behavior to be accepted. Advise your teenager that if they perform for their peers they are literally giving their peers the power to define who they are and what the do. Teach your teen how to respond to his teen peers in a non judgmental way with dignity. Advise your teenager if their friends reject them because they made a decision not to partake in smoking or drugs that those individuals do not respect them and they should seek friendships with others who will respect their decisions. The more you and your teen practices this role playing, the more likely they will make the right decision when that situation occurs in their life.
• Do not minimize your Teenagers behavior of smoking. Teenagers become just as addicted to nicotine as adults. According to the American Lung Association teenagers who smoked at least 100 cigarettes would like to quit but are unable to do so due to their addiction. Smoking is linked to cancer, heart disease strokes as well as being a gateway drug to other illegal or prescription medications.