Last night i spoke to some children age between ten and fifteen as they was smoking,i will not write what they said to me but please pass this on to parents COPD is not nice and no lung disease is and children can get lung problems through smoking i ask you to tell your children not to smoke and let them read the BLF web site
thankyou
Children of that age taking notice of an adult? That'll be the day...
They think we're just trying to spoil their fun, so would do it all the more.
It's not until something happens to them, or someone close, that they realise - too late.
William - would you have been told when you where their age ?
if you go to a kid and tell them not to smoke blah blah blah they tell you where to go, laugh at you and call you names.
I SHOW them! i ask them if they fancy a race - course at 51 i am a really old lady so the kids see it as a joke - till they see me after only a few yards on the floor , fighting for breath! then when i can talk again i just say " every time you light up remember this!"
Hindsight is a wonderful thing - i have a 10 year old granddaughter who knows better than me - but you tell a kid what to do and they treat you with contempt - but by showing them the consequences the impact is incredible.
i know its not a good idea to half kill myself but at the same time i would prefer to fight for breath for 10 minutes than see any kid end up like me!!
i agree with you i am 66 and started smoking a a young age now sorry i did but all i want is for them not to be like me if they reach my age.
I admire your spirit....... the impact of such a demonsration will live far longer in the minds of these youngsters than any amount of lecturing!
very true.
Hi
Sometimes people at that age don't think about the consequences and 'being older' is a long long way away.
Along with Rob from the North West Regional office we went to a local senior school and spoke to all the first years about smoking and how it damages the lungs - some of them even knew about COPD as they had relatives who had been diagnosed with it. Education is a big key factor and certainly there is much more information around than when i was that age.
Jo
When I was in my 20s, it was the norm to smoke. I was a student nurse, and the nurses' sitting room was thick with smoke. Smoking was the thing to do in those days. I gave a long time ago. And a waste of money nowadays.
It's a very true saying sadly " Hindsight is a wonderful thing" we all look back and wish we'd done things differently or not at all, if only we could take these youngsters back then forward to the present time and show them what it's like to gasp for breath doing the simplest thing, then maybe they'd react differently. In all honesty when I was young I didn't smoke, my Mam would have made me eat them! and I wouldn't dare to even answer back in case it got back to her. Sadly it's the norm today for most kids to swear and abuse us and if you dare to complain to their parents well I think most of you know their reactions. It's a sad world we live in
I agree that kids don't listen to anything that adults say. But then I didn't at their age. I had a chat with my nephew about it when he was a teenager. I told him it seemed hypocritical me telling him not to do something I did but that I regretted taking up smoking every day of my life. I also told him about my smoking related asthma and permanent cough and he witnessed this many times. He did understand and hopefully think about it. If you show them rather than preach at them I think it is more effective....and most importantly talk to them as adult to adult then they are more likely to listen.
I agree that showing the effects of smoking has much more impact.
Bev x
Sad to read your blog as children of that age have no clue what they are doing to their lungs. I have three grown ups, two of which started smoking at around 15/16. Our daughter smoked for a while too but thank goodness no longer does. Our youngest son is 30 tomorrow and still smokes which does upset me but he won't listen. He sees his dad (Pete) every day as he lives with us and knows what he goes through (sarc is not smoking related so they say but who knows really? The copd has been caused by the scarring on the lungs and airways) yet still he smokes. I despair! Our eldest son smokes from time to time also and is always chewing nicotine gum. I just want to shake young people and make them listen but they don't. xx
I point to my oxygen tank and say "That's how I got this"... It seems to give pause for thought, even if they light up -- after I'm well out of the way!
Catnip
I have similar problems with a daughter and a son-in-law. They are in their 40s and they still don't listen. IT could be that they know I was a heavy smoker and they say they are only smoking socially.
If people ask me I will tell them it was probably smoking that caused me to have IPF but many of them think that they don't smoke as much as I used to, and that makes it OK.
I to have family that still smoke even though i wish they would not, but if i am near them they go for a walk too smoke and not in my home.
smoking
Smoking. !!!
Smoking In Cars
The new anti-smoking campaign. No mention of COPD ?
