Parent Gossip

Welcome to 2009. It’s a New Year! A chance for everyone to make a fresh start, full of great intentions for the coming 12 months. What are you going to change?
I believe that the best new years resolutions a parent can make is to quit smoking. If the health warnings that the Government has placed on the packs and the scary television and radio adverts don’t motivate you to quit then consider the damage you are doing to your children and what could happen to them after you go to an early grave as a result of a smoking related disease.
Also consider the example that you are setting for them. When your child sees you smoking, what message are you sending to them? As a parent you are the ultimate role model for your children. They will learn from you by imitation and will emulate your behavior, whether it is good or bad. So NOW is a great opportunity to do something positive about it and set an example by quitting for good. What better promise to make for your children’s future?
Consider the facts. Research carried out by the University of Washington has found that if you stop smoking before your child reaches the age of 8 then they are 39% less likely to become a smoker by the time they get to 17 or 18 years old than kids whose parents are smokers after that point. The age of 18 is important here because 9 out of 10 children who have not smoked by the time they turn 18 will never become smokers as adults.
That fact alone should be enough of an inspiration to get you to stop smoking!
If your children are older than 8 then it is still not too late to quit. It is NEVER too late to quit! And when the going gets tough, just remind yourself that you are not only doing this for yourself, but for your children. Do you really want them to have to go through the same struggle to quit later on in life? Could you live with yourself if they themselves contracted a smoking related disease?
So