Monitoring Teen Smoking
Parents, take heart. Facing the issue of teen tobacco use may not be an easy task, however, teens today are acknowledging parents can be the number one deterrent to their substance abuse. According to www.theantidrug.com, teens want parents to make their position clear when it comes to dangerous substances like alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. They also indicate that parents shouldn’t assume that their children know where they stand. According to research, when a child decides whether or not to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, a crucial consideration is: What will my parents think?
In addition to stating that they don’t permit smoking, chewing tobacco, or marijuana use, parents should also pay attention to symptoms their teens exhibit that could be a clue that these behaviors are occurring. It can be as simple as smelling teens’ clothes when they get home from being out or looking for signs of tobacco use in their cars. Since the strongest predictor for what a teen does is what his/her friends do, paying attention to a teens’ friends’ behaviors may help parents be alert to some of the warning signs as well.
Cindy, a parent of a 14-year old daughter in Talbot County, shares that she found a pack of cigarettes in her daughter’s purse. When she confronted her daughter, her daughter said that she was holding them for her friend. When pressed some on the issue, the daughter said that she only smoked them once and didn’t like it. Her mother remained calm and reminded her daughter of her rules about smoking and explained that there were not excuses for her smoking. As they talked a little longer, her daughter explained the pressures in her peer group to fit in and that smoking helped her to feel like she belonged.
When confronted with their behavior, teens often find ways to deflect the conversation about their using. They may blame it on someone else or something else, ask to discuss it at another time, play it down so the adult does not bother to follow-up on it, accuse the adult of unfair behavior, or admit to part of the truth then embellish it. As in the case of Cindy’s daughter, sometimes kids smoke because their friends are smoking or there are other issues going on like stress, unhappiness and social issues. Asking teens about these issues can start a dialogue and open the door to communication about the issue. Finally, parents should let their teens know that they are there to support them and to help them quit.
For tips about how to talk to teens about smoking, visit www.theantidrug.com or call Talbot Partnership at 410-819-8067.
