Parents: Please don't smoke around your children!

[RitaZ.]

This is a vent...

My DH suffers from asthma and was diagnosed as a young child. His mother was a heavy smoker all of her adult life (even while pregnant), she died of lung cancer 4 yrs. ago. I don't know if DH's asthma was initially triggered by her smoking or other allergies. All I know is that he was subjected to secondhand smoke for 22 years. There is irreparable damage in DH's lungs caused by the secondhand smoke. He takes several medications daily to keep him "healthy" and will have to take them for the rest of his life.

I realize smoking is a powerful addiction, just don't smoke around your children!

 

[holycow]

I am so sorry your DH has to suffer everyday of his life for someone elses actions!....Personally that is one of my pet peeves is seeing people smoking when they have little children!..Ugh!!!

Holycow

 

[Snow White]

I hate to see people smoking around children too, especially when they have them in the car with the windows rolled up! Argh! Sorry your DH has had to go through all that!

 

[olena]

I feel your pain and agree!

My Mom smoked a lot....even when pregnant. We all had respiratory problems. My sister had severe bronchitis as a newborn and nearly died. We all had the ear pressure problems.....tubes in the ears. It wasn't until I moved away to college that I realized that chronic sinus infections and red eyes aren't normal for me. My sister had to go to the emergency room countless times, cuz she couldn't breathe. The good that came out of it was that I will never, ever smoke. I wouldn't ever put my kids, or anyone else, through what I suffered.

 

[RitaZ.]

Olena~ My DH spent a lot of time at Miami Children's Hospital (then Variety Children's Hospital) when he was a young child with severe asthma attacks. He has told me so many stories and what it was like for him. I totally understand your anger.

DH had a severe asthma attack 5 years ago that nearly killed him (ambulance, intubated, ICU, etc). Everytime he visited his mother, he would come home wheezing and he was taking medication at the time. When I called his mother to tell her than DH was in the hospital and the reason, she blamed the attack on a turkey sandwich he ate while at her house.

I'm so angry right now... I better stop writing...

 

[olena]

*HUGS* I'm so sorry.

 

[Beanie]

So sorry to hear...

My 3 year old DD has asthma extremely bad and no one is allowed to smoke around her...no one in our family smokes, except my MIL and she is not allowed around Savannah with a cigarette...My child's life is way more important than her nasty habit!!

 

[Mishetta]

I can really relate to your anger Rita! My F-I-L has Emphazema (?) due to all those years of chain smoking. They never had $$ but he always had ciggarettes in his hands. He quit smoking about 3 years ago ~ due to his illness, but it's too late. My DH grew up in that smoke hole & he has a chronic cough. So sad because that could have been avoided!

Once my IL's went on vacation & we agreed to watch their cat. We went to their house one evening & when I opened the front door, it was like a blast of smoke hit me in the face. My FIL had been gone over 24 hours already on his vacation. I tried to hurry & clean up after kitty & pour fresh water & food in bowls because my eyes were tearing from the smoke.

We've since moved to a diff state & my DH has gone to the west coast to see his family a couple times & he says even though it's been 3 years since his DF quit smoking, the house still reeks of smoke! YUCK!

My FIL expects everyone to feel sorry for him since he has this illness. Sorry, no feelings from me. My DH said if he had met me when I smoked, he would have never asked me out! I would have missed out on a wonderful man over a cigarette!

Smoking really SUCKS. I hope I can get this message thru to my kids. I mean, you never see Mickey smoking, do you?

 

[jrmasm]

 

[helenabear]

Rita, I am so sorry that you are angry about this {{hugs}} Watching parents do that to their kids just bugs me to death.

 

[Robinrs]

I, too, suffer from chronic bronchitis and had pneumonia 3 times from growing up in a household of smokers. Second hand smoke in an enclosed space is so dangerous, I couldn't imagine subjecting my child to it.

 

[KimR]

My DH contracted Legg Perthes disease as a child due to exposure to secondhand smoke (both his parents smoked). It required surgery and a year in casts on both of his legs. Even now, he still has problems with his leg and back at times. At the time, the cause of the disease was unknown, but now it's been determined that secondhand smoke is the primary cause. Apparently, the smoke causes the blood vessels to constrict, depriving the hip bones/joints of needed oxygen and nutrients. That's the way I understand it, anyway. I'm assuming there is a hereditary component as well, because his brother had a much milder form of the disease. Consequently, I am adamant about my kids not being exposed to smoke. Also, my mother has advanced lung cancer after 40 years of nonstop chain smoking...I hate smoking...

Kim

 

[ead79]

An excellent reminder to all parents, Rita. I have never smoked and never will. I don't want to hurt my body or anyone's that I love.

 

[Pooh93]

My MIL is raising our 6 year old niece. That little girl has such allergies and her nose is stuffed all the time (spring, summer, fall and winter) When she was a baby my FIL would lay on the floor puffing away with ashtray close by. Well guess where the baby was always laying?! Used to drive me insane. I blame 90% of her breathing problems on her breathing that smoke!

 

[CindyKansas]

My father smoked and I hated it. My brother and I both now have asthma, don't know if it's related to being around second hand smoke as a child or not but I can not stand to be around anyone who smokes. I will not let anyone smoke in our home or our vehicles. If DH's brother (he's a smoker) is visiting the in-laws the same time we are we stay at a hotel. My father died at the age of 48 of a heart attack and my mother never smoked.

 

[RitaZ.]

For anyone that may be interested in reading this article on secondhand smoke and its effect on children.

http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/secondkids_factsheet.html

 

[ncligs]

Any parent that smokes "in there home" with children, must not "love and care" enough about there kids, that smoking is more important than there kids health and well being!!!

 

[jrmasm]

As I said in my original post, I'm the lowest form of human slime. I don't love my daughter and should be locked up!

How many of you have fat kids, kids with a mouth full of cavities, kids that are medicated for your convenience, kids who are so obnoxious that people can't stand to be around? How about children who are not exposed to the evils of smoke but are still sick all the time because you never bother to put them to bed at a decent hour. How many of you spank your kids and then turn around and tell them not to hit their brother/sister/friend. Kids who use drugs, skip school and drink with their friends on the weekend?

How many of you can't be bothered to put your kids in car/booster seats after the age of 4? How many of you have two drinks at Outback on Friday night and get your car with your kids and drive home? How many your kids go to crappy schools? How many of you have cheated on your spouses? How many of you are divorced? How many of your kids are so overscheduled that they never have a chance to think?

Lets not forget about all the kids with asthma and other breathing/lung ailments that don't live with smokers or the kids that do live with smokers that never have these issues. How the hell does that happen??

Don't bother responding to these questions because they are all rhetorical. My point is that no one is perfect and that includes you!

Is smoking around my daughter the best thing that I can do for her? No, but it sure as hell isn't the worst either.

 

[RitaZ.]

Wishing everyone a great day!

 

[bumcat]

My daughters best friend had to live with her parents heavy smoking all her life, thankfully she is in college now and rarely goes home. She stays with us when she isn't in college.She is 20. She has had breathing problems most of her life. Only when she would end up in the hospital for breathing problems would her parents smoke outside, right, that would always last 3 days at the most. She has never smoked but I wouldn't be surprise if she ends up with cancer way later in life.
If a smoking parent could see into the future and were told that their child would end up with cancer or other serious problems because of their second hand smoke would they then smoke outside? You just have to decide if you want to gamble with your childs health.