Regarding May 31, World No Tobacco Day, 26 draws attention to this dangerous habit at an early age.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Feeling the center of attention must have been the reason why Robert began to put cigars in his mouth. At first, he was just threatening; but it didn't take long to set it on fire and "swallow the smoke." He says that his parents saw him as a joke, and did not pay much attention to him.
The vice began to take hold in junior high school. He would bring cigarettes to class and hide them in his backpack to light them at dismissal time or recess. The girls looked at him as a "little man" according to him, and that was the spice to keep him going until at a parents' meeting he was labeled as a "chain smoker" and everyone laughed, except his parents.
Robert tells me that, even though they punished him and stopped giving him money, even for snacks, he couldn't quit smoking. Today, at 22, he is addicted to nicotine, and in the current context of limited resources, he has suffered more from the shortage of cigarettes in the Gastronomy network than any other limitation.
The story of this young man is not the only one who took a quick look at smoking. At the dawn of life, it is very difficult to make the right decisions; and the truth is that, in our environment, for various reasons, people approach this phenomenon at an increasingly early age.
For many, the habit of smoking in primary school child can be seen as something out of the ordinary; but according to specialists, this behavior has its roots in the very development of our society. The boundaries between childhood and adolescence are upset. The little ones imitate youngsters (brothers, cousins, and neighbors) and also find themselves defying the forbidden; because they associate it with acting like adults, or asserting themselves.
Boys are the first to raise cigarettes to their lips. The cliché of music videos and movies in which the protagonist appears dressed in smoke and alcohol does work in his brain. Even closer, they observe how many teenagers smoke and that makes them popular with girls.
Parents have the great challenge of teaching their children to discern the reality of consumer fallacies and help them build solid self-esteem, based on their individuality, with their strengths so that they do not feel necessary to imitate dangerous behaviors to fit in a group, or earn respect.
It is vital to lead by example and to keep the home free from this toxic practice. Many of the adults, who require the little ones to light cigarettes secretly, hypocritically inhale the smoke in front of them.
Popular wisdom encourages letting children go their own way, but I dare say that without adult supervision what starts as a game can turn into a vice, and one of the most dangerous.
Preparing children and young people for the future is not easy. It's not just about getting them the best clothes and the most expensive shoes. It is necessary to consider long talks, without offenses or threats. Show them, for example, that smoking and other habits are not attractive, but are unhealthy and, definitely, deadly.
