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NO SMOKING TO THE PARENTS Hello Parents! We are tobacco educators employed by Baltimore County Health Department and we want to inform you of a tobacco-related intervention that we will be implementing that will provide many services for your teenager. Our tobacco intervention will allow teenagers to attend and participate in a health fair, tobacco education classes, smoking cessation classes and group counseling sessions. We will be setting up a health fair in your teenager’s high school in which the students will attend during their lunch shifts. We will then provide tobacco education classes to students as guest speakers in the school’s health classes. During the health fair and tobacco education classes, we will hand out tobacco use surveys to collect information and gather participants who are willing to participate in future smoking cessation classes and group counseling sessions. The short-term goals of our intervention will be to have teenagers cut back their tobacco use, provide them with nicotine patches and gum, increase their awareness of health benefits to quitting, and increase their knowledge of supplemental tobacco products. The medium term goals are to have teenagers focus their energy on healthier behaviors and to increase their knowledge of how they are less likely to be diagnosed with a tobacco related illness if they quit using tobacco. Lastly, the long-term goal of the intervention is for students to quit using tobacco and to maintain a tobacco-free lifestyle. |
HELPING YOUR CHILD QUIT
You may want to ignore the possibility that your kid may be smoking. Maybe you smoked as a kid, or maybe you feel that every kid smokes, so there's no point in trying to stop it. You may also feel that it's "just tobacco" and that your kid is "just experimenting." But you can't turn a blind eye.
Each day nearly 4,800 kids smoke their first cigarette, and 2,000 kids a day become regular smokers.
If your teenager is smoking or chewing tobacco, it will be up to him or her to quit. But you can help. Your intervention is critical. Don't lecture, don't punish. But don't accept excuses like it's "not a big deal" or "I can quit anytime." Support your child in helping them quit. It's one of the best parenting activities you could ever do.
HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR TEEN
1.Avoid threats and ultimatums. Find out why your child is smoking. Your preteen or teen may want to be accepted by a peer group, or he or she might want your attention. Plus, adolescence can be stressful.
2.Show your interest in a non-threatening way. Ask a few questions and determine why your teen is smoking and what changes can be made in his or her life to help them stop.
3.If you smoke, quit.
4.If you did smoke and have already quit, talk to your child about your experience. Personalize the little problems around smoking and the big challenge of quitting. Teens and preteens often believe they can quit smoking whenever they want, but research shows many teens never do.
5.Be supportive. Both you and your teen need to prepare for the mood swings and crankiness that can come with nicotine withdrawal. Offer your teen the 5 D's to get through the tough times.
6.Make a list with your teen or preteen of the reasons why they want to quit. Refer back to this list when your teen is tempted.
LET TEENS BE TEENS
Teens often say and do things that don't make logical sense. Rather than arguing with your teen or allowing him or her to pick fights with you, stand your ground and try to roll with the punches. Some amount of rebellious behavior is normal, although there should be consequences for anything that breaks the rules you have in place.
Get Counseling
Engage in counseling for yourself, your family or with your teen. Get the entire family involved and aware of the problems that are arising. Professional therapy sessions can help a parent just as much as a defiant teenager, so seek help for yourself as well as your teen.
Keep Communicating
Make sure both parents stay involved in the communication loop and don't be afraid to ask your teen questions about his or her life. Do as much as you can to keep the lines of communication open, so that your teen will come to you and trust you. Problem teenagers are often dealing with a lot of adult issues, yet they don't have the wisdom or maturity to see the big picture. It's also a good idea to talk to other parents and especially the parents of your teenager's friends. Even though your teen will resist this, it's important to get to know the people in his or her life.
Be the Adult
Teenagers are very perceptive and look to their parents as examples. Often, it is the parent who has to stay strong for a teenager, so know your role as the adult and don't back off your ground as an authority figure. Teens will push to the limits, but deep down they do want to know they can count on you.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Many teens grow up too quickly, but after a couple years of tumultuous behavior, you might start to seem them relax and become closer to family again. The difficult years can seem like a lifetime, but in reality, they don't last that long. With the right attitude and tools, parents and teens can grow closer, rather than farther apart.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tobacco_control_programs/campaigns_events/got_a_minute/
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/youth/index.htm
http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/cancer-information/cancer-topics/prevention-and-screening/smoking-and-tobacco/index.html
http://www.parentactionondrugs.org/parentquestions.php
http://www.parentingteens.com/index/Parent+Support+Group+Directory
http://www.child.net/articles/smoking/
http://www.realparentsrealanswers.com/
http://www.womensforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=163:stop-your-teenager-from-smoking&catid=16:teens&Itemid=46
VIDEO LIBRARY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amx9MwQZ43U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBR9tgTM0bI
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2089593/stop_smoking_amazing_commercial/
CONTACT TELEPHONE #'S
Maryland - American Cancer Society: 1-800-227-2345
- The National Resource Center: 1-866-868-1005
FORUMS FOR PARENTS
PARENTAL QUOTES....FEEL BETTER! 
If your kids are giving you a headache, follow the directions on the aspirin bottle, especially the part that says "keep away from children." ~Susan Savannah
In spite of the six thousand manuals on child raising in the bookstores, child raising is still a dark continent and no one really knows anything. You just need a lot of love and luck - and, of course, courage. ~Bill Cosby, Fatherhood, 1986
Parenthood is a lot easier to get into than out of. ~Bruce Lansky
Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids. ~Sam Levenson
As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it, or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett
