Children and smoking

[pappymac]

Well. I smoked around my kids when they were little up until 1986 when we learned one of our daughters had allergies and asthma. From that point until she moved out of the house to go to college, I pretty much quit smoking pipes and cigars. The only time I would smoke was on deployments when there were no kids around. Took up cigars again in 2000, but only smoked them outside. I did introduce our two sons to cigars and it was one of them who got me started back on pipes. All three of us only smoke outside - and none of us have ever smoked cigarettes.
I now have seven grandkids and they all know we smoke pipes. They also know we only smoke outdoors. My youngest son's wife is a doctor and she has never told him he can't smoke a pipe. I guess she figures on pipe a day outside isn't that big of a smoking risk. As far as secondhand smoke, if the wind is blowing it dissipates before it gets to anyone else.

 

[didimauw]

I only smoke around my daughter when we are outside. If she comes to sit on my lap, I put the pipe down.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't like smoking children. They are hard to light and can ghost my pipe.

 

[jvnshr]

I think Cosmic became an English teacher recently.

 

[rfernand]

My daughter is about the same age. She sees me enjoying my pipes outside. Occasionally she says "Daddy, blow!" Mom reinforces the limits by calling them "Daddy's toys".
So yeah, they pay attention and show interest. And at some point she'll mimic. I'll buy her a bubble pipe for fun I guess.

 

[didimauw]

That was my first thought, a bubble pipe!

 

[drumbumb83]

I have two sons ages 2 and 5 and can hardly do anything (ie. cooking, working on the car or motorcycles, going to the bathroom, checking the mail, breathing...)without them expressing an interest. This is fine with me. I love there curiosity. Pipe smoking is "me time" though and I'll keep it that way.

 

[4etecjonathan]

I grew up in a smoking household, Mom and Dad were both cigarette smokers and my Dad also smoked a pipe. This was back in the day when every other TV commercial was by a cigarette company and once in awhile a pipe tobacco commercial.When I started smoking was back in 1969 or 70, I was Thirteen years old. I was allowed to smoke freely at home as long as it was tobacco and not the other GREEN Wacky Tobaccy!!! As I got older and married I always smoked around my Kids and they never got sick from it at all. I never went out of my way to blow smoke at them or anything stupid like that. As time went by the Country changed, it seems that it was taken over by the Anti- everything Groups. Don't do anything at all especially don't smoke. They have taken over our individual rights behind our backs and the funny thing is WE LET THEM by being complacent as we got older. Now they demonize you if you choose to smoke around any child. My own kids have jumped on the band wagon to the point of letting there spouses dictate to me whether I can or should smoke my pipe around my grandchildren.

I don't believe and never will that pipe smoking will hurt any child..We let too many people dictate to us on how to live our lives. If we stand up and express our own views even people our own age put us down because they are afraid on how they would look if they supported our way of living and whether we smoke or not. I hope the day will never come that a crop that built our Country will be outlawed and put another several thousand farmers out on the Welfare Lines!!! I suppose many of You fellow members will disagree with my rant but that is your right, this is just how I feel about Smoking of any kind around kids.
Jon :puffpipe:

 

[warren]

As long as you acknowledge your post as a rant, based only on anecdotal observations which fly in the face of certain scientific evidence, I have no problem with it.

 

[sevenseas]

Very well said, Jon. I totally agree with you. There is no hard evidence that second-hand smoke is dangerous. The US government even admitted it recently. The so-called 'progressive' socialists have practically destroyed every western country with their political correctness and cultural Marxism. Brainwashing in schools, universities, and the media is the result we see today. Everybody walking on egg shells, afraid of what they say or do, lest it might offend someone. We should be proud of our pipe smoking, not ashamed. I believe pipes and tobacco growing are two of the greatest inventions of mankind.
And just try to ignore Warren and his continuous bleating of anti-tobacco/anti-pipe smoking rhetoric. Not only does he try to make us all feel guilty by continuously telling us how selfish, nasty, and unhealthy our pipe smoking is, he obviously has personal issues of guilt about his own pipe smoking. As this is a pipe smoking site, I'm not sure why such anti-smoking views are even tolerated here.

 

[sevenseas]

Last week my wife made a comment to me to be careful of smoking around our 3 year old daughter. She told me that our daughter was making funny lip movements and when she was asked what she was doing, replied with "there's smoke coming out of my mouth."
I haven't smoked in front of her in weeks with this cold weather, but I told the wife that her message was received. In the past I've told our daughter that the pipes are only for dad, because she also asked if I would share my pipes with her.
Without me going on a huge rant, what are your opinions about this?

didimauw, I think you are worrying over nothing. Do you or your wife really think your three year-old daughter is going to start smoking a pipe or cigar because she saw you smoking? ::
And regarding second-hand smoke... regardless of what some here may say, there is zero hard evidence that second-hand tobacco smoke is dangerous. The US government even recently admitted it. I feel so sorry for all the husbands here that are forced to smoke outside in the cold because of their wives. Sad times indeed.

 

[warren]

I think consideration for others is admirable.
I am certainly not anti-tobacco or pipes. I thoroughly enjoy both. I do avoid subjecting others to my little vice. especially if they voice an aversion. Nor do I encourage others unless I think they have weighed the risks and can afford to burn up money. I have made an adult choice to enjoy the weed, I can easily afford it, I can pay for any medical problems arising from my wee vice with my own moneys. It is a personal choice I made, no need to subject others to the downsides, smell, residues, etc.
Nor do I need to express my dominance over others by choosing such a minor thing as my smoking to go to war over. My family's well being and happiness was certainly more important than a bowl of tobacco, cigar or cigarette.
I now live alone and do not have to consider others in the equation of smoking in the house. The kids may lose a bit on the sale of the property because of my smoking but, that will be their problem. There will be sufficient moneys for them that they will soon get over it.

 

[andrew]

I wanted to smoke cigarettes when I was a kid, like 5 years old because I thought it was so cool how smoke came out of their mouths. So by all means it's going to leave an impression on them. Children are going to emulate their parents behavior.

 

[redpanda]

Warren: Well said.

 

[pappymac]

I think a bigger danger to kids are all the soft drink flavored adult beverages.

Hard Root Beer, Hard Ginger Ale and Hard Orange Sodas are all for sale at one of my local grocery stores. They all contain 5.9% alcohol and I don't know too many kids that won't see a open bottle of orange soda and want to drink it.

 

[didimauw]

I'm not worried about anything. I haven't changed anything about my smoking, I was just curious about how everyone felt. Thanks for the comments everyone!

 

[hextor]

I have 2 sons one is 4 and the other is 2 and they are a handful, and yes they are very curious, I had showed them my pipe and my oldest one asked my why do I smoke, I had told him it for me to relax, kids will ask questions and you have to always give an explanation and if you don't they will ask you until you give them one, once you give them a simple and honest answer they will stop the questioning and will leave it at that, kids can get very distracted and when they are playing with their toys out side or when they are watching tv, they wont really bother me when I smoke out side, just be honest with them and their curiosity will fade away, and also I talked to people who had pipe smoking dads, its something about the pipe that will bring memories of grandfathers or other male figures who were close to them, it add character to that person, perhaps I would like to think of my boys when they grow up to be men to remember me sitting in the porch lighting my pipe reading a book and always at the ready to give them sound and loving advice.

 

[hextor]

oh and to all of us pipe smokers remember, that we choose the pipe for a reason, we all enjoy it and if we are smoking outside and our children see us smoking it I think that we are not doing anything wrong, we have to be more worried about when they start going to school, all the peer pressure and the bulling that goes on in schools and the drugs that they might get offered, or even if they try and decide to join a gang, or the decide to drop out, or get pregnant, I think I speak for every one here that we are responsible men and we know how to handle our self around our kids, as they grow up they will measure more your character, responsibility and mannerisms and yes they might mimic your pipe smoking now, but sooner or later they will mimic your character and that's the most important part of all.

 

[robwoodall]

I think consideration for others is admirable.

Damn progressive socialist, brainwashing me with your Marxist, politically correct philosophies!

 

[warren]

Thank you for the kind words.