So tonight the kids and I were stopped at a stoplight (shocker! in the city, no less!) when my son shrieked from the back seat, "Mom! That guy is killing himself!"
Of course I looked, expecting someone to be crossing six lanes of traffic on foot or something. In the car next to me I saw a man smoking. "Yep, son. You're right."
"Why he do that?"
And I continued with the brainwashing that began innocently enough. When they are young and curious and like to pull junk out of ashtrays that moms don't like their kids touching, moms have to do a lot of explaining.
"Don't touch that! Yucky!"
"Why?"
"Germs."
"But what was it?"
"Cancer stick."
"What?" Perplexed look.
"People light them on fire and suck air through them."
"Why?"
"I guess because they want to die slowly." I mean, really, why? After the first time which you can blame on curiosity, why do it?
I didn't exactly try to brainwash them. But apparently they listened. I promise we only had the conversation once.
2 comments:
Hey, they're listening. Personally, a little of this kind of brainwashing is the kind I hope sticks for life!
Yeah, I think that's perfectly acceptible brainwashing. I'm going to attempt the same type of thing with sugar, which according to my nutritionist, is just as harmful (and addictive) as most street drugs. I'v ebeen trying to detox from sugar since February and I'm still addicted; I don't want my kid to get hooked on it. I wish it was as obvious to everyone else in our social circle just how harmful it is, because you can bet I'm going to get some seriously concerned looks if my kid ever tells her friends they're killing themselves for eating that Oreo. (And I probably won't have many playdates after that!)
-Alison
blog.alisonstrobel.com
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