Earlier this year, I was on the east coast for book signing events and time to visit with family.  One day, my eight-year-old nephew, Dylan, and I were watching television.  One of those anti-smoking commercials came on (the one where someone is in a rat costume, crawls out of a subway, and then writhes on the ground…making the point that cigarettes have rat poison in them). My nephew, in his best eight-year-old tone that was innocent and petulant at the same time, asked, “What is he doing?”  As I explained that the man in the rat costume was making a point that cigarettes are bad for people and can make them sick, Dylan said, “Well, then the people who make cigarettes should just stop making them!”  

Personally, I think he has a point, though having watched someone I deeply care about struggle to quit smoking for the last several years, I know it’s not quite that simple.  If you know anyone who is trying to quit smoking, be a face of encouragement for them.  Send them cards or emails when they hit a milestone, even if it’s just one day without a cigarette.  Treat them to dinner or a movie if they make it a month.  And if they do fall off the wagon, encourage them to keep trying instead of making them feel even worse.  This is one area our loved ones need all the support they can get. 

Are you able to give it to them?

For more information, visit www.americanlegacy.org, an organization whose mission is to build a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit!