Just thinking of your children must have brought smiles on your face. So then I would ask you. Why would allow your smoking habit to rob you of the precious time you can spend with your children? I personally have missed too many moments that will never come back. I missed the moment my son spoke his first words because I was having my smoke after a meal. I missed the moment when he first rolled over. And I missed many more. Missing just one of them was one too many.

I’ve too many times made my family wait in the car while I had a smoke. Satisfied that I haven’t subjected my family to second hand smoking, I was too ignorant to realize I carried toxic particulate matter every time I came back to them after smoking. It is called third hand smoke and is backed by medical institutions around the world. If you think that it’s safe to smoke when your family’s not home. Think twice. Long after the smokes have disappeared, smoke contamination lingers all around your house. Children spend an awful lot of time on carpets, often crawling very low on the ground exposing themselves to the toxins even more effectively. Imagine furniture where often toys are stuck under and behind, how much toxin is waiting for your child’s small hand to grab onto that toy. The same is accomplished even if you smoke outside the house at all times. You carry the toxins on your hair and clothes. As you move about you become an effective toxin distributor.

Children are often helpless and they depend on us to protect them. No matter whose child, we are at the very least obligated to never harm them. If you have families and friends, if you have any and however a significant social life, by smoking you will undoubtedly affect children negatively. If you are a single person you might just brush this off. If you are a parent, I hope you couldn’t.

Finally, just imagine how much pain you will cause your children if you die prematurely from smoking-related illness (e.g.). Let’s not be so selfish and stop thinking of the moments that we may miss. Let’s think about the damages we can inflict on our children’s life if we were to be absent from it because of our irresponsible habit. Would they be financially handicapped? Could your spouse make up for your absence? Most importantly though what of the fond memories of you they were supposed to grow up with? Can you still justify your smoking habit? I couldn’t. No, I didn’t. I made sure I would never speak of the term “third hand smoke” with my children’s name ever again. Please do right by your children, only you can stop the damage.

©2012 GIVING UP SMOKING. All Rights Reserved.