Wonder How Many of our Parents Smoked?

[Tyme2B]

Sometimes I wonder how I got hooked on smoking? A dirty, smelly addiction. My parents never smoked. All 3 of their children did smoke. I smoked but my hubby didn't. Our children both tried smoking but gave it up quickly. I lived in Residence when I left home for higher education. A large number of us smoked. It "relieved stress". At that time there were no restrictions on smoking. Even Nurses in Hospitals smoked at the desk on hospital wards & Teachers' Staff rooms billowed out smoke when the door opened. We smoked in our homes, our cars, in the company of our children....now all I can think of is how unsafe & stupid it was. We didn't know back then what we know today. What a shame. But my Parents did not smoke....ever.

[Colleen]

How about a poll?

[Tyme2B]

How about a poll?

I'm not looking to blame our parents....we all made our own decisions as we grew older & adicted....just interested...a poll would deffs be interesting!

[Doreensfree]

Both my parents smoked.....both of hubby,s parents smoked too...

But thankfully our two children never have......

[Nancy]

Both my parents smoked but quit a very long time ago.

[Michelle7]

Both of my parents smoked as well, but my mother quit several years ago.

 

Michelle

[Still winning]

Both my parents smoked, my Dad quit after he left...my mum quits daily!

 

I do think it has a repercussion. No I don't "blame" them but I had access to cigs from a young age. When I started regularly smoking at age 12, my mother bought them for me and that continued until I was 16 and legal to buy my own. I thought she was being cool back then, now I think differently.

 

My girls better pray to the powers that be that I never catch them smoking! 

[cpk]

Sometimes I wonder how I got hooked on smoking? A dirty, smelly addiction. My parents never smoked. All 3 of their children did smoke. I smoked but my hubby didn't. Our children both tried smoking but gave it up quickly. I lived in Residence when I left home for higher education. A large number of us smoked. It "relieved stress". At that time there were no restrictions on smoking. Even Nurses in Hospitals smoked at the desk on hospital wards & Teachers' Staff rooms billowed out smoke when the door opened. We smoked in our homes, our cars, in the company of our children....now all I can think of is how unsafe & stupid it was. We didn't know back then what we know today. What a shame. But my Parents did not smoke....ever.

 

..............My father smoked. I have four brothers and none of them smoke. I don't think we can 100% blame smoking parents, although they do "normalize" something that is abnormal.

[cpk]

Both my parents smoked, my Dad quit after he left...my mum quits daily!

 

I do think it has a repercussion. No I don't "blame" them but I had access to cigs from a young age. When I started regularly smoking at age 12, my mother bought them for me and that continued until I was 16 and legal to buy my own. I thought she was being cool back then, now I think differently.

 

My girls better pray to the powers that be that I never catch them smoking! 

Oh my God, 12????? Did you know other girls your age who smoked?

[JackiMac]

Both my parents smoked, I started smoking at 12 as well, but back in the 60's and 70's not so much of the dangers were known about nicotine addiction everyone smoked then!!, my mum quit when she was in her 40's my dad quit and started to smoke cigars and stopped them when he was 66, my brother has never smoked neither has my husband, my son smoked, but he has since quit.  In my husband's family his mum smoked and gave up a year ago she was 64, his two sisters smoke out of 5 of them.  

[beacon]

I started smoking by stealing my parents' Pall Malls. My bother and sister never started smoking though. I seemed to be the child who smoked, ate, drsnk, ie overconsumption

[Nicole Diver]

Both of my parents smoked, to the day they passed.

Sigh.

[cpk]

Both my parents smoked, I started smoking at 12 as well, but back in the 60's and 70's not so much of the dangers were known about nicotine addiction everyone smoked then!!, my mum quit when she was in her 40's my dad quit and started to smoke cigars and stopped them when he was 66, my brother has never smoked neither has my husband, my son smoked, but he has since quit.  In my husband's family his mum smoked and gave up a year ago she was 64, his two sisters smoke out of 5 of them.  

12 seems so young! But thinking about it, I was 15 which is in the young category as well...

[cpk]

Both of my parents smoked, to the day they passed.

Sigh.

Sigh. Yes. Big one. I am so, so sorry. By the way, I adore this photo of you and (your?) dog. Really precious, and makes me smile every single time...

[cpk]

I started smoking by stealing my parents' Pall Malls. My bother and sister never started smoking though. I seemed to be the child who smoked, ate, drsnk, ie overconsumption

OMG, Pall Malls. That was the brand my Dad smoked. I'd steal from the pack he kept in his suit jacket pocket...or...if really brave...steal a whole pack from the carton in his sock drawer.

[Nicole Diver]

Sigh. Yes. Big one. I am so, so sorry. By the way, I adore this photo of you and (your?) dog. Really precious, and makes me smile every single time...

Thanks cpk!!  Lovely to see you as well, you know who you look like?  Natalie Merchant (well, what Natalie Merchant looked like back in the day.) 

Was almost 22 years ago for my mom and 5 years ago for my dad.  So it's been a while.

This here is Cocoa, the good dog.  Solange (not pictured) is my demon dog, about 10 months old, a brown and white Boston. 

[Tyme2B]

There is definitely a link so far between smoking parents & smoking children. I seem to be the only exception....I think I did it out of revenge....so did my bro & sister....VERY strict parents....who knows? My bro is dead & my Sis quit smoking a year ago. So we can set a bad example or be too strict???? My kids don't smoke. Thank God!!

[Still winning]

Oh my God, 12????? Did you know other girls your age who smoked?

No, not with others. To start I smoked alone 1 or 2 after school, to cope?? I had been stealing them on and off since I was 9 but this was my turning point where I became addicted I believe (I've had some time now to think on it). It was so normalised in our circle, only one person said something to my Mum who cared little as she really doesn't equate smoking with anything other than stress relief. Ironically she has COPD, high blood pressure and a broken heart valve, all requiring medication...but it's not worth quitting now because it's too late. 

 

So to answer the original thoughts I do think there's something in it. After all they say kids of abusive parents, drug addicted etc etc can often copy so smoking is normalized when I don't think it should be. It isn't the only reason people start, of course it isn't but it doesn't help at all.

[Doreensfree]

I was just eleven.....how big I thought I was....

I hung out with older kids...14 and 15 year olds...

We stood in a circle..and passed one around....

It took 52 years to finally rid myself of those dam things....

[Leanna]

I started smoking when I was 19 or 20, so I can't really blame my parents for that. However, my dad still smokes like a chimney and my mom was a heavy smoker. She died in October 2013 at the age of 59 from a heartattack. She was very, very sick leading up to her death. She had a condition called Peripheral Artery Disease (hardening and narrowing of arteries) and about 9 years ago, she had to get her big toe amputated. Smoking definitely didn't help. 

 

I've been around cigarettes my entire life. It was the norm of the generation that my mom and dad grew up in. She smoked throughout all of her four pregnancies; they smoked in the car with the windows up. My dad is in his 70s and very set in his ways. I doubt he will ever quit. 

[Markus]

.

[Petra]

Both of my parents smoked & my "cool" older cousins. 

 

My Dad worked for Lucky Strike for a while and had a bunch of stale old packs of smokes in our garage.  I started smoking at around age 13.  I knew I was addicted when I would smoke those nasty things - he hadn't worked there since I was a small child - that's how long those smokes were in the garage - probably 10 years.  OMG - they were sooooo bad.  It was much better when I could steal fresh ones from his pack, but when he was working - there I went, sneaking around in those old stale disgusting packs of KOOL & Camel.  GAG ME!!!

 

My Dad died from Adenocarcinoma - which is basically cancer spreading all over internally, not knowing where it started.  :(  He was only 56.  Super sucks, cuz he was super awesome. 

 

My Mom started smoking in her late 20's, didn't smoke a lot and quit several years ago.  She has great long life genes, and is doing pretty well at 72 y/o, but I hear the wheezing in her breath sometimes. :(  It doesn't help that she is overweight - but that is another story. 

 

My Father-in-law, smoked like a chimney (MIL never smoked).  He also quit several years ago  - like 10.  He was diagnosed with COPD about a 1.5 years ago.  At first it wasn't too bad, but now he has to be attached to oxygen 24/7.  We went to a family lunch today.  He was planning to meet us, but couldn't go because his portable oxygen tank fell over on the way out the door and a part broke, so he had to stay home.  We tried to make light of it, saying that he did it on purpose because he didn't like the restaurant we picked.  We smiled & kinda laughed, but, yea, bummer moment. 

 

Smoking sucks.  :(     

[cpk]

No, not with others. To start I smoked alone 1 or 2 after school, to cope?? I had been stealing them on and off since I was 9 but this was my turning point where I became addicted I believe (I've had some time now to think on it). It was so normalised in our circle, only one person said something to my Mum who cared little as she really doesn't equate smoking with anything other than stress relief. Ironically she has COPD, high blood pressure and a broken heart valve, all requiring medication...but it's not worth quitting now because it's too late. 

 

So to answer the original thoughts I do think there's something in it. After all they say kids of abusive parents, drug addicted etc etc can often copy so smoking is normalized when I don't think it should be. It isn't the only reason people start, of course it isn't but it doesn't help at all.

Thanks for sharing.

[cpk]

Thanks cpk!!  Lovely to see you as well, you know who you look like?  Natalie Merchant (well, what Natalie Merchant looked like back in the day.) 

Was almost 22 years ago for my mom and 5 years ago for my dad.  So it's been a while.

This here is Cocoa, the good dog.  Solange (not pictured) is my demon dog, about 10 months old, a brown and white Boston. 

Natalie Merchant's cool! Thanks! Oh, little Cocoa is so cute, hope not being vexed by Solange...