How to Build a Teen's Self-Esteem to Prevent Smoking
Smoking is a contributing factor, sometimes the sole factor, in the development of diseases such as cancer, COPD, coronary heart disease, stroke, cataracts and abdominal aortic aneurysm, according to the American Lung Association. More than 5 percent of all middle school students and 19.5 percent of high school students were smokers, as of 2009. If your teen starts smoking, it could take her 16 to 20 years to kick the addiction, notes WomensHealth.gov. Prevention is the key. To prevent your teen from starting this disgusting and deadly habit, you need to help her build up her self-esteem and educate her about smoking.
Instructions
Boosting Self-Esteem
Model positive behavior for your child. Nurture your own self-esteem by avoiding being too hard on yourself or taking on more than you can handle, advises Kids Health. Make your home a safe harbor for your teen. Her home should be a place where she feels happy and loved. A child who feels unsafe in her home has a greater chance of having low self-esteem. Praise your teen often when she does something good, to let her know how proud you are of her, recommends HealthyChildren.org. If your teen seems uncomfortable accepting your praise, avoid offering so much praise that you seem insincere about it. You don't want her thinking you're just saying something because you have to. Ask for your teen's opinions on family matters to make her feel important. Include her in decisions about things like buying decorations for your home, planning family vacations and what to do for a family activity. Treating her more like a grown-up can go a long way toward building her self-esteem. Show your teen affection to boost her self-esteem. Hug her often and tell her how much you love her and care about her. Seek professional help for your teen if you're unable to help her develop positive self-esteem, advises Kids Health. It may help if she can talk to someone other than a parent, such as her pediatrician or a pediatric therapist. Just Say No
Prevent your teen from smoking by being a good role model and not smoking yourself, suggests the American Lung Association. In addition, make your home smoke-free to prevent your teen from being badly influenced at home. Make it a rule that's she's not allowed to go to a place where smoking occurs. Talk to your teen often about the dangers of smoking, sharing how addicting it can be and how unhealthy it is, not for only her, but everyone around her too. Educate her on the other unpleasant aspects of smoking, including discolored nails or teeth and stinky breath. Ask your teen what her thoughts are on smoking. Listen intently to what she has to say about it. Ask her if any of her friends smoke and what she thinks about her friends making that choice, recommends the Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition, a Florida state organization concerned with infant mortality and health. Explain that you understand that the desire to look cool, fit in with the crowd or to act like the movie stars that smoke are all strong influences that may tempt her to endanger her health. Tell her you're proud of her for making good choices, suggests ED.gov, in a 1998 piece that helps parents teach their kids about the dangers of drugs. Make it clear to your teen that you feel strongly about this subject, then state what the consequences will be if she ever changes her mind and decides to try smoking. Punishments may include grounding her, taking away her laptop and cellphone or discontinuing her allowance. Previous:No
