Posted by Bilbo on October 22, 2009, 21:44:00, in reply to "My Daughter Is 10 Asked For A Cig"
92.0.33.49
No. Don't let her. Of course it might not be long before she starts on her own anyway - but while I don't think there's a set age at which one suddenly becomes old enough to smoke, I do think there is a too young, and a fairly good test of whether someone is mature enough to become a smoker is if they are independent, capable and resourceful enough to secure a regular supply of cigs without parental help or encouragement in doing so.
Also your daughter has probably not quite even reached puberty yet - there are significant differences in how the brains of children, adolescents and adults react to nicotine - addiction seems to come harder and faster for younger people than adults, so it'd be better to encourage her to wait a while, till her body, mind and brain are more developed.
If she starts on her own soon anyway, then well, it happens, but really best not to encourage a prepubescent child to develop an overpowering life long unhealthy addiction.
Also on a purely self interested level if you get your child hooked on cigarettes, you've got a responsibility to pay for her smokes for the next several years, until she's old enough to get a job and buy her own. And cigarettes are not cheap.
--Previous Message--
: Well when i was driving
: home from picking my
: daughter up from school
: and enjoying a nice cig
: my daughter came out of
: the blue and said can i
: have one now i said i
: would think about it but
: im really not sure what
: to do i smoke so if i
: dont let her then it
: will be wrong because i
: do too but should i let
: her smoke and what brand
: should she start with
:
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