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Jen
My son who is 16 has been smoking for about a year. He did get a warning
from a police officer, who then called me, about him bein under age and
smoking in public. Here in VT you can buy cigerettes when you are 18.
Out of my six kids, three daughters and three sons, 3 smoke (two
daughters and one son)and three don't. My husband and I smoked when we
were younger. We quit to be healthier and so our kids would be
healthier. One of my son's has allergies and my daughter had a premature
baby 4 months ago. We put restrictions around smoking around my son with
allergies and our grandson. My mother died of cancer in 2000. She was a
smoker, an alcoholic, and refinished furniture for many years. She had a
hard life and although she worked at understanding her circumstances,
continued to have a hard life. She and my father divorced because he
wanted to be with another woman. He was also a child molester. She then
married an alcoholic. I think what I am working at saying is that I
believe smoking has more to do with emotional problems than just
experimenting if it lasts for any length of time. I hope I don't get
beat on for saying that... My children that smoke seem to have more
emotional difficulties than the ones who don't. That is my observation.
Michele



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In a message dated 8/9/2004 7:13:48 PM Central Standard Time,
michele-nappi@... writes:

I think what I am working at saying is that I
believe smoking has more to do with emotional problems than just
experimenting if it lasts for any length of time. I hope I don't get
beat on for saying that... My children that smoke seem to have more
emotional difficulties than the ones who don't. That is my observation.



I tend to agree with you. My middle son has been smoking since he was 17.
I know that he knows how bad they are for you because he went to school until
6th grade and they hammer it into kids in school.

But, he's a somewhat nervous type, always chewing his fingernails. If any
of my kids were going to smoke, it would be him. I always thought his intense
desire not to smell bad or be dirty would prevent him from smoking. I guess
his sense of smell is diminished. I'm disappointed that he smokes, and I am
frustrated that he doesn't believe his sinus infections (which he never had
before he started smoking) are related to smoking. But I don't bring it up.

Karen


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