Mother smoking with baby around...

The other day when I went to a flea market I saw what I assume was the mother pushing her baby around in a stroller. But she was smoking. To me, that's just wrong. I don't have any smokers in my family so I don't know how hard it may be to quit but come on. If you can't quit for your baby at least smoke when the baby isn't there. Your thoughts on mothers smoking around their babies?

My mom smoked while I was in her.

What can you do about this besides be outraged? Should we just get all Nancy Grace about it?

I'm not outraged, I just don't think smoking is healthy for the baby.

@SexyToad said:

The other day when I went to a flea market I saw what I assume was the mother pushing her baby around in a stroller. But she was smoking. To me, that's just wrong. I don't have any smokers in my family so I don't know how hard it may be to quit but come on. If you can't quit for your baby at least smoke when the baby isn't there. Your thoughts on mothers smoking around their babies?

Ask a heroin user how hard it is to quit, since it's about the same.

And from personal experience it's a BITCH to quit smoking. The withdrawls in the first four days are murderous even with NRT (patches, gum, etc;) and Bupropion flowing through your veins to even you out during the quitting process.

@SexyToad said:

I'm not outraged, I just don't think smoking is healthy for the baby.

Did you inquire if the baby was feeling unhealthy?

Punch that bitch in the dick.

Of course it's wrong, but unfortunately, there's not much you can do about it. People mistreat their children all of the time. The best we can do is make sure we do better in our own lives and try to foster a society where such actions are frowned upon.

It's alarming how common it is to see that sort of stuff at my work. I've seen parents go out with a newborn or a toddler at their hip and smoke. As well as seeing pregnant women who preach that this is their third baby and that it doesn't really have an impact. It's annoying, but really there isn't anything I can personally do about it but express my concern.

Well, no shit second hand smoke is bad. What brand of terrible person is going to say, "Nah, I shove my baby's head in a small box and just let all my smoke vent into that?"

People are stupid, but what can you do other than be a) the dickhead who confronts people going about their business or b) be outraged at them to yourself?

For some reason this doesn't bother me. Maybe its because I don't need to worry about it with my future children at all but it is also a free country. As far as I know there are no laws that state you can't smoke and have a child.

My girlfriend works in an urgent care clinic and when she works in the children's section they often get babies brought in that are having breathing issues. It always comes down to the parents smoking with them around. It even effects them if the parents go outside to smoke, and then don't come back inside until they finish. The kids end up breathing it in through their clothing.

I saw a mom with her baby in a front pack get into her car (baby still there), and drive away. It was the craziest shit I have ever seen.

Only in Hawaii.

Thats pretty gross. Unfortunately you can't do much about stupid people.

My sister does this. Sure my niece/god daughter is in another room, but is pisses me right off as a non-smoker/sane person as I am sure being 20 feet away from her doesn't make too much of a difference in the amount of smoke she is breathing in.

@takayamasama said:

I saw a mom with her baby in a front pack get into her car (baby still there), and drive away. It was the craziest shit I have ever seen.

Only in Hawaii.

I feel bad, but I laughed pretty damn hard picturing this.

@takayamasama: That's terrible, but I imagined Cool Baby + some doughnuts.

Great mental picture.

My mom had to have her tonsils removed (when she was little) because the doctor didn't realize her frequent bronchitis and breathing troubles were from (her mother's) second hand smoke. So yeah, it's not healthy. And ya know what? There's nothing you can do other than gossip behind the mom's back, because just you TRY to tell any mother they're doing the wrong thing. Shit, meet Fan.

"Nah, I shove my baby's head in a small box and just let all my smoke vent into that?"

@ajamafalous said:

@SirOptimusPrime said:

"Nah, I shove my baby's head in a small box and just let all my smoke vent into that?"

HOT BOXIN' THIS BABY BRO YEAHHHHH OWWWWW

My dad smoked like two packs a day around me when I was a kid, especially in the car. I turned out fine, and I haven't taken up smoking.

Stuff like this is really aggravating -- I'm fine with people fucking up their own lives, but when their stupidity starts to affect the people around them, it's gone too far. The lady should have her child seized and she should be sterilized.

Call child services/child protection?

Mind your own business.

Well it is a flea market that you went to, it's almost as bad as the regulars at Wal-Mart.

I'll never understand smoking.

I mean, it looks hella cool when Clint Eastwood smokes in a movie, but movies can't convey the smell of tobacco and the feeling of tar in your lungs.

Not that a I personally condone it, but no big deal, its not like she's beating her child, at least she's taking care of the baby

It's pretty alarming to me how some people still consider the 'you're not gonna teach me how to raise my child' argument. First of all, children don't choose parents, so you should raise them with special care; imagine if your wife had been given to you against her will. It would be much harder to make her happy.

Second: don't give me the 'I didn't know my methods were wrong' excuse. Maybe that was an excuse in the 19th century, when access to scientific studies was scarce, but it's not anymore. You probably spend hours researching what new laptop to buy, and yet you refuse to google the reality about your parenting methods? If you still smoke around, hit or spank your child, it is your fault for not doing research on how harmful those are. Children are not your toy to play around with and break.

Third: yes, I do fuckng care how you're gonna raise your child. My children will live in the same world with that child, maybe even go to the same class. So if you refuse to stop practices which are harmful to your child, hell yeah I'm gonna get angry. If you beat your dog everyday and then release him in a playground would you not be responsible for his behaviour?

If its just her, and its a large open environment, or out doors I really dont care. That said chances are she smokes at home with the baby.

My entire family smocked around me when I was a kid, I guess that's why I didn't cough when I lit up my first. Regardless, I don't buy into the second hand smoke stuff, but you still shouldn't smoke around people who aren't smokers, because people get really offended about everything these days.

I'll agree with the crowd here and say yeah it sucks and you can't do shit about it.

@BraveToaster said:

Well it is a flea market that you went, it's almost as bad as the regulars at Wal-Mart.

You should see the regulars at Goodwill.

Both my parents, to my knowledge, smoked while I was still in the womb. They both smoked when I was a baby all the way up to this day. I will be amazed if I make it to tomorrow.

@Daroki said:

@SexyToad said:

The other day when I went to a flea market I saw what I assume was the mother pushing her baby around in a stroller. But she was smoking. To me, that's just wrong. I don't have any smokers in my family so I don't know how hard it may be to quit but come on. If you can't quit for your baby at least smoke when the baby isn't there. Your thoughts on mothers smoking around their babies?

Ask a heroin user how hard it is to quit, since it's about the same.

And from personal experience it's a BITCH to quit smoking. The withdrawls in the first four days are murderous even with NRT (patches, gum, etc;) and Bupropion flowing through your veins to even you out during the quitting process.

Well, it depends on what kind of dependency you have in the first place. I smoked like half or one pack a day for like a year and one day I simply stopped. I feel much better now and it wasn't that hard. I just occupied my mind in something.

Well people have their priorities. 1 smoking. 12 baby.

smoking messes up peoples thinking. Most people that smoke often, it becomes their number one mission. having been around smokers of different ilk over the years and being a social smoker from time to time I see the huge pull it has. It is like any compulsive thing really, coffee, pot, video game purchasing/trading in. Let's be honest if you had to deal with that aweful child and had to be that wretch of a human being you would probably smoke a pack a day as well.

People smoking around their children has two great benefits though, a. it allows us to know exactly what class they are in, and b. judge them because clearly that is the only reason we would notice them doing it.

Oh noes!!! Someone smoked near a child. Well that kid is surely going to have horrific life and die. Just like all those kids who were born between 1900-1990 with their smoking parents and lead based paint products. The human population was becoming so sparse in that century... oh wait.

@avidwriter said:

Call child services/child protection?

Second-hand smoke is bad for children, but a broken home is far worse. I'm sure you're not suggesting the child be taken from the parents and placed in foster homes, but from everything I've seen, CPS doesn't understand the meaning of "tempered correction."

Nothing is realy good for you anymore, its all a matter of choice in the end. Things affect people differently and in the end, she has to live with the after effects.

I'm assuming that all the people complaining about smokers being evil don't drive cars.

My dad always smoked inside when I was a kid like alot of people, now everyone gets outraged like you for example she was having a smoke OUTSIDE while pushing the stroller, there is alot of chemicals in the air in citys anyway. Don't get me wrong you shouldnt smoke inside with a kid but outside there should be no problem.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

My entire family smocked around me when I was a kid, I guess that's why I didn't cough when I lit up my first. Regardless, I don't buy into the second hand smoke stuff, but you still shouldn't smoke around people who aren't smokers, because people get really offended about everything these days.

I hear you man, it's like the same thing with asbestos. I'm not going to let so called "science" and "exhaustive research" tell me what I can and can't insulate my house with.

I'm working in China right now and everyone is never not smoking. The kids here get shitloads of second hand smoke. Whenever I pick my nose, the boogers come out either pitch black or sickly yellow. It's pretty bad. While I have no problems with the actual act of smoking, I find people who willfully ignore the harm of cigarette smoke and intentionally subject non-smokers to second hand smoke to be pretty lousy individuals.

@Berserker976: I'm always baffled when people dismiss legitimate, scientifically studied phenomena offhand as if it's completely wrong, placing faith in their anecdotal experiences instead.

I'm so glad I don't come to Giant Bomb for the community. I couldn't bear the level of ignorance around here for more than a few hours a week. It's only marginally better than real life.

I always see this hot blonde woman where I live walking around town with one little baby under each arm and a cigarette in her mouth and these massive aviators on, ain't gonna lie she looks pretty baller, I would be happy to have such a cool looking mum if I was a baby.

I would've hit her with the sweet chin music

Do a Brodie and yell at her that you hope her kid gets lung cancer

Meh, I survived that baby probably is gonna survive too. 
 
 
I mean, raararahrhagagh. I get so angry and stuff and I just wanna control how she lives her life. That way I can escape my own terrible life filled with a billion more mistakes than smoking next to a baby.  
Gargle wargle, raaah raah, noise

Unless she was directly blowing the smoke into the baby's face, I don't see a problem.

Both of my parents smoked all the time when I was a little dude, I'm fine and have never smoked, so I don't think it's a huge deal.

Saying that, I still wouldn't want people smoking around my kids.

I don't give a fuck. Her kid, her problem.

Get all up in her face and yell SMOKE YOU!

My mother quit smoking for more than 4 years while she was pregnant with first me, then my little sister. And after that, never smoked in the presence of kids, whetere it was us or someone elses.

It's just common fucking sense, smoker or not. I don't doubt how hard it is to quit forever, but give it a rest for a few hours and take care of your damn kid.