I do not feel that smoking in front of one’s parents should be considered disrespectful. I am assuming that the smoking would be allowed by the parents. I believe disrespectful is the wrong word to use. Maybe thoughtless would be a better word, since they are not thinking of the consequences of smoking in someone’s home.

First, there is always the smoke that has to be aired out after the smokers leave. The fact that the smoke gets on everyone’s clothes and hair would be another thing to think about. Even the nonsmokers smell like they smoke after being shut up in a home with smokers.

 At any rate, if the parents are agreeable that one smoke in their home, I see nothing disrespectful. The majority of children that smoke are children of smokers. I, myself was a smoker for many years. Unlike a lot of my friends, I did not smoke in front of my Mom until I was married. It just didn’t feel right. My Mom and Dad both were smokers.

 The one thing that does not work is to tell a child not to do something that you yourself are doing. My husband and I were both smokers and luckily only one of our three children smoked. I thought nothing of him smoking in my home but I had a good reason. Or so I thought. I was uncomfortable with him sneaking around trying to keep from getting caught. I had a gas furnace in the basement and it just worried me that he might hurry to put one out and it not go out.

However, after I had smoked for about 20 years I cut down to 3 a day. I ask my son to smoke outside with me. I was tired of my home smelling like cigarette smoke. I was also tired of my clothes and hair smelling like smoke. It helped him to cut down to three a day by spending time at my home. Eventually I quit because of my health and the cost of smoking. I encouraged him to try, telling him if I could do it, anyone could.

It would have been disrespectful of him to continue to smoke in my home after I quit smoking. That would have caused me great temptation. Eventually he cut down even more and finally quit.

I have been to many homes and during the years that I smoked there was not as much of a fuss over it as there is now. Back then everyone had an ash tray out for you. Even if they did not smoke, usually they did not care if company smoked. Especially those who were parents of smokers. That was back when there was not as much concern over second hand smoke.

Just about everyone I grew up with or worked with has quit smoking. Everyone in my family has quit smoking. Not because of the smell but because of our health. A lot of us have developed health problems that benefit from quitting such a habit. Some of the health problems may have been there anyway. The main reasons we quit was the cost. Every time something was increased, it was cigarettes. Come on now; we all know that.

I suppose in the end one would have to go by the circumstances in deciding if it were disrespectful. Of course it would be if one was ask not to smoke in the home. Most adults will honor such a rule.

The other thing I would like to mention is if one is under age and told by the parents to stop smoking; it would definitely be disrespectful to not follow their rules. But this is one of those things that I consider a common sense statement. Even children know when it is disrespectful to do many things.