GainesvilleMoms.com

There is a family that smokes at our bus stop. Whether its the mom or dad, they smoke. If they are not standing there with the other parents they stay inside their car smoking with their kids in. Those kids are always sneezing, coughing like if you have bronchitis and when you ask if they are okay they just say they have allergies and that they don't spread...

I think it's disgusting and I don't want people smoking at the bus stop around my kids exposed to second hand smoke!

what would you/I say?

Is this allowed by law or banned already? I tried to find more info online but wasn't able.
Thanks for your help!

I'm not sure but I feel for the kids.

My parents smoked one after another my entire childhood. I still have problems and haven't lived with them or anyone else that smokes in many years. By the time I was 14, we thought I was going deaf but when we saw an ENT we were told that I couldn't hear because my sinuses were so congested due to the smoke. I started having problems with Asthma soon after that I still struggle with. Sadly it didn't make any difference. It wasn't until about two years ago that my mother stopped smoking around me, my father still doesn't care who is around.

-Amy

That is so sad. They're smoking with the kids in the car? O.k if you are going to smoke but why do people do that to their kids-
I don't think there is anything that can be done- It should be illegal.
I always move my son away from people that are smoking- even though they should be the one's moving away from everyone else- ugh

How very disrespectful to those around them and especially their own children. My mom smoked around me my entire life. As a result I was diagnosed with asthma at 17 years old and it progressively got worse. I now have to use inhaled steroids twice a day plus keep a 'rescue inhaler' on me at all times for attacks!! Those poor kids being so exposed could very well follow in the same path! Now if I even get near a smoker I begin to have trouble breathing. I don't know if I would say anything to the smokers or not. I am sure that as smokers they already know their habit is offensive. I would just keep a far enough distance from them while waiting for the bus...and perhaps invest in one of those little hand held fans people carry around to cool off in amusement parks to keep the smoke downwind of you

Ugh that's awful. I feel so bad for those poor kids, but unfortunately, parents smoke around children all the time.

I know exactly how upsetting and irritating it can be to have to stand by/walk past someone who is smoking. I usually try to hold my breath (which obviously you can't do the entire time you are waiting for a bus), and I try to keep my daughter's face covered as we quickly pass by. If I can't quickly move away from the smoke, I sort of wave my hand in front of my face and my daughter's face, a bit obviously.

My mom occasionally smokes, but she is respectful enough to either do it outside if she is at home or to make sure she is far away from anyone else.

I understand that smoking is addicting, and I understand that people can make their own choices. I just wish some people would have a bit more respect for those around them. On the other hand, some people who smoke may not realize how offensive it is if they grew up around it their entire life. Tough situation. I hope you are able to work something out!

I have to agree that smoking is a nasty habit but then there are people who are offended by my being overweight so I try to be at least tactful about my approach to the subject because I know all too well how it feels to be "attacked" for something that controls you. I don't think anyone would be out of line if you were to ask a smoker to please not get too near while they smoke. They all know why you are asking so there is no reason to say more than a polite, 'would you mind stepping away while you smoke?' but there are those who will get defensive as soon as you make eye contact. If you have asked and gotten no where, then really all you can do is move away yourself. If there is no where to get away from the smoke, then I think I would be a bit more direct but I would rather not cause a fight over something I cannot control so if they continued to be in your face, I guess I would explain, maybe a bit loudly, to my kids that we have to move to another spot because not everyone wishes to be considerate of a small child. They may or may not get the message.

While there is no law against it as far as I know -- a bus stop is a public place after all -- there is no reason why you shouldn't ask the parents to not smoke near your child. You have that right as a parent if you feel something is harming your child.

I do feel sorry for those children though. It's the parents' decision to smoke, not the kids, but they'll pay the price for it the rest of their lives.

thanks mOms...you know that this situation is kind of akward for me, my daughter is friend of theirs and they are constantly inviting mine to tea parties at home and sleepovers but I don't feel comfortable letting her to play in such enviroment, the parents smoking is a real and serious thing, CONSTANTLY!!!...I come from a family where I see my dad smoking 24/7, and that was the condition that didn't let him recover when he suffered a cirrosis related death, he has a massive blood transfusion but his arteries and veins where so affected because of the smoking that he didn't make it...and I'm a second hand smoker that is still recovering from a collapsed lung on 2003 while pregnant with my little girl; steroids, invasive treatments, accupunture, weight gain and therapy followed it and the worst I almost lost my baby because I wasn't getting enough oxigen from the constant asthma attacks...Smoking is horrible for ones health and I'm surprised that people/parents still do it with their kids or any kids near...
We as moms should do something, but where do we start??? We don't want people to think that we are violating their rights but little kids are suffering the consecuences of irresponsible acts and decisions

I am not sure how it works here in Florida but up in Kentucky there were some issues like that with a couple bus stops. The school board up there if I remember right had some rules about not allowing it at bus stops or maybe it was the actual school that didn't allow that at the bus stops.

Wow Gabrian. You sure had to deal with a lot of issues and problems related to smoking. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.

OMG I was watching my fav. show today (The Doctors). It is a show made up of 4 doctors that each special in a different Field. Everyday they talk about a variety of subject dealing with health, kids, and much more. Today they were talking about lungs. They showed the pictures of a good lung (pink) and a bad lung (and I mean BLACK). So the question the doctors asked was does anyone know what caused this.....the audience all said SMOKING. That is what I said in my head as well, but the black lungs did not belong to a smoker. That was second hand smoke that effected the lungs.

It was so crazy. Before I got pregnant I use to smoke. I stopped as soon as I found out. I will never smoke again and I can't believe the damage I could have done to someone else. If you want to check out the show their web page is Link and the show comes on at 9am and 3pm everyday. Channels 7 and 19 if you have cox cable.