Celebrate a smoke-free Father's Day

From Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate dads for who they are and all of the wonderful things they do. It is also a great time for dads to remember the important role they play in influencing the choices their kids make regarding tobacco use.

Unfortunately, tobacco use among men remains a serious problem. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, one in six men currently smoke, more than 278,000 men die every year from smoking, and 216,000 kids have already lost their dad to smoking.

Dads who smoke can celebrate Father’s Day by quitting; and all dads — smokers and nonsmokers alike — can celebrate Father’s Day by taking a number of effective actions to protect their kids from becoming another one of the tobacco industry’s addicted customers and victims. Even if they smoke, what dads say, how they act and the values they communicate through their words and actions greatly influence whether or not their kids will smoke.

All dads can also do a lot to protect their kids from secondhand smoke.

How can dads keep their children from smoking?

As a parent, you are one of the most important persons in a child’s life, especially when it comes to tobacco. You can make a big difference in the choices your kids make.

If you smoke, quit. If you aren’t successful at first, keep trying. Children from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves; but parents who try to quit and talk to their kids about how addictive smoking is, why they want to quit and how important it is to never start can beat those odds.

Maintain a totally smoke-free home, even if you smoke.

Educate your child about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Talk about addiction and how hard it is to quit smoking. Emphasize the immediate health effects, like stress, increased blood pressure and coughing. Emphasize the effects of smoking on physical appearance, like face wrinkles and bad breath. Talk to your kids about how tobacco companies target them by trying to make tobacco seem cool they can addict them as life-long customers.

Listen to what your child says and does about smoking and encourage your child when he/she makes good choices.

Ask your child about his/her friends and their attitudes toward smoking. Discuss peer pressure and how to deal with it effectively.

Clear up any misunderstandings your child might have about smoking. For example, he or she should know that not everybody is not doing it, getting hooked can happen very quickly and quitting is very difficult.

Make sure your kids’ schools have strong and well-enforced smoke-free rules for kids and staff.

Support federal, state and local tobacco-prevention efforts like higher tobacco taxes, funding for tobacco prevention programs and smoke-free laws.

Children and Secondhand Smoke

Fathers who protect their children from secondhand smoke reduce the risk of smoke-caused health problems.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, two out of every five children ages 3 to 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke in the United States.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, including hundreds that are toxic and at least 69 that cause cancer. Secondhand smoke exposure also increases the chances that a child will suffer from coughs and wheezing, lower respiratory infections, acute and chronic ear problems, and exacerbations of asthma.

The respiratory health effects of secondhand smoke may even persist into adulthood.

How can you protect your child from secondhand smoke?

If you smoke, quit smoking — or at least keep trying. Call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free help quitting smoking. You can also talk to your doctor or sign up for a stop-smoking course.

Don’t let anyone smoke in your home. Make sure anyone who smokes only does so outside, away from open doors and windows. Remember: smoking residues in a home or car can cause harm even when smoking is no longer taking place.

Never smoke in the car, especially when your child is a passenger.

Avoid leaving your child with someone who smokes or in smoky environments. Ask about smoking and smoke-free rules and practices when choosing daycare centers or babysitters and even when leaving your kids at other people’s homes.