Monday, November 9, 2009

Why?? What?? I Don't Get It, At All

~~~Warning: I am about to jump up on my soap box and vent.~~

The other day I went to the grocery store to get out of the house, uh I mean, to get tasty food for my family to eat. I was in the produce department when I first noticed this little family picking up some wonderfully delicious produce. I mean half the cart was full and we were only 30 feet inside the door. They had a very little baby, maybe 3 months old, and dad looked to be a healthy sort of fellow. He was wearing running shoes and actually had on a shirt showing that he had run in a race to a local charity. We shared a friendly hello as we were both looking at the organic spinach selection. Mom also looked to be a fit/healthy type person. Dad actually mentioned in our very short conversation that he was part-time trainer at a local gym. Most of their cart was full of healthy food, mostly organic. We talked of organic food and how we would like a bigger organic market here in our part of the state. We finished our conversation and went about through the store. You know how you go through the store and there is usually one or two people you keep up with, so to speak. I went through the store, basically but not intentionally, with this family.

We reached different check-out lines around the same time and realized in the parking lot that we were actually parked beside one another. As I finished putting my groceries in, I looked over to make sure I wasn't going to get hit and I saw it. I mean I saw IT. There was this health conscience family getting ready to pull out, dad was lighting up a cigarette. I was rather stunned for a moment. I just got in my van and glanced over again and mom waved goodbye, I did the same as I scanned the car for open windows--no open windows. A little baby was about to smoke her next cigarette (you know this wasn't the first time).

I am sorry, but this is just wrong. We all know that cigarettes are bad for in you in about fifty different ways, but it's your choice to smoke them. Your free will allows you to smoke and then suffer the consequences later. It's an entirely different matter if you are subjecting your babies to smoke along with you. Sucking in the poison that is not only health damaging, but addictive!! Your babies aren't making a choice, they just have to do it along with you. IT IS WRONG! I mean they bought organic food, pay for a gym membership, drink water and juice, don't eat red meat, but they choice to smoke?!!?!? They talked about making healthy choices for their baby~nothing that wasn't BPA free, cloth diapers (good choice by-the-way), breastfeeding and so on, but then you close the baby up in a car full of poisonous smoke!!?? Do they believe that all the other good, health conscience decisions they make will prevent the effects from smoking?? Are they in the group that don't believe about second-hand smoke being just as bad for you as lighting it up yourself?? Imagine being eighteen years old and having the lungs of someone who has smoked for eighteen years and you never smoked a single cigarette!! Choices we make don't just affect ourselves.

Whew! Now that I have jumped up on my soap box, opened a can of worms and vented. . . I can go clean my kitchen. Hopefully no one is offended by my words, but what good is a blog if you can't voice your opinion. ~~Smile~~

5 comments:

Karen said...

I really can't add a single thing to this....
Other than I understand smoking is an addiction.
Which is fine. For dad.
But take your addiction OUTSIDE.
And they'll wonder why the kid has asthma or allergies.
Based on what I've seen at the doc's office when I worked there, this will be the dad that SWEARS he always smokes outside.

Ok, I guess I did have something to add! HA!

Boy Mom said...

Wow, funny how silly we crazy humans are. Hopefully all the good stuff will balance out the smoking. Weird!

Sir Nottaguy-Imadad said...

I had a person (a non-smoker) tell me they couldn't see the danger of second-hand smoke. When I explained that the smoker draws the smoke through a filter, and those around them don't have filters stuffed up their noses, the lightbulb clicked on.

forever folding laundry said...

Wow. So sad. Sad for the dad, who is damaging himself, but even worse for the baby: who has no choice. :(

~Keri

Sarah @ OneStarryNight said...

That would break my heart, they are setting their child up for a lifetime of health issues.