Smoking / Being Cool

When I was sixteen, I started smoking (sorry Dad, if you're reading this). My Mum used to smoke and I thought she looked pretty cool, a bit like a chic actress type. So because of that and peer pressure from my friends, I started. It made me go light headed and tasted gross but in my head I looked really cool. I couldn't do it properly but I carried on not doing it properly, I wasn't going to be the geek that obeyed by the rules, nosiree.

But like pretty much everything I do (Lilian and writing aside), I got bored of it so I stopped. Little did I know I'd end up the uncool one of the group anyway, rebelling but still uncool. Whatevs.

Two years later, my Grandad died from lung cancer.

Now I have Lilian, my views on smoking have completely changed. Each to their own was always my my motto on the subject. Now it's different. In my opinion, if you have children and you smoke you're a selfish idiot. Sorry but it's true.

How would I feel if I found out Lilian had tried a cigarette when she's a teenager? Livid. And if she thought it was disgusting? Relieved. But if she smoked, took it up as a habit, I would go MENTAL. I often think about how I'll discipline her as an eight year old, a twelve year old, a teenager. But I cannot even begin to think about how I'd go about it if she smoked. I'd like to think she won't, that she'll have more brains than that, but we'll see.

I've signed up to support the Smoke Free South West Campaign for plain packaging. Here are a few facts that actually shocked me:

I hope that most of you will pledge your support for this, whether you have children or not.  If you want to, you can do so here.