Topic 3 What to Do if You Have Learned that Your Child smokes?

Let him know you are aware of their smoking;
Tell the child calmly, without criticism – Ask the child why he or she decided to smoke in the first place. What does it do for him/her?
Tell them about the side-effects – how it affects their external and internal organs (teenagers get particularly excited when you tell them how damaging it is to their skin, as well as their breath).
Reassure them with the understanding that this is no longer a secret.
If you generally have a warm and trusting relationship, just have a heart-to-heart talk.
If you also smoke it’s quite unfair to ask them to stop as well, but try to make it a competition – as if you were quitting too.
Sport is the best way to quit smoking. Choose one with your child that he or she enjoys. In general, parents are the most significant people in a child’s life, so if you don’t take care of yourself, don’t expect reciprocal behaviour.
A warm family climate always creates the conditions for a healthy offspring to grow up. When you see your child in the evening, always be interested in how his or her day went. Ask them about their relationships with classmates, teachers, if anyone is abusing them.
And if in general it does not come to you from within to speak from the heart, you should not start doing it abruptly. Gradually build up this tradition at home, and in just a few months it will become comfortable for you too to live in such an atmosphere.