Why kids don't listen

[kengr]

Local news had an item about how to talk to your kids about vaping & marijuana. One of the questions they asked was "Why don't kids realize the risks?"

And they totally *ignored* the big reason. Kids don't believe warnings about how risky things are because they are fed a steady diet of alarmist or blown out of proportion "risks" of various things.

Since they know for a fact that they are being lied to about *some* things, why should they believe adults about other things?

Now add in the fact (that they *did* mention) that kids have poor judgment because of ongoing brain development until well into their 20s and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Folks, to get kids to trust your warnings, you have to *prove* that you *are* trustworthy. And many adults have shown that they *can't* be trusted to be honest.

then add in all the utter bilge taught in many health classes (especially sex ed) and it's a wonder they believe anything they are told.

Comments

[conuly]

Which is why all I've said to the nieces about tobacco and marijuana is "for crying out loud, you're asthmatics*, your lungs can NOT take too much smoke inhalation. If you're going to do it, at least find some other method of consumption".


* Eva's only had one major asthmatic incident, so actually she's probably not, but it was bad enough she never wants to do it again.

[we_are_spc]

Oddly enough, weed opens me up for a bit. I'm not sure if that's because my athsma's set off by other things or what, but that's me.

Cigarettes, though? If you want me on the ground, or nearly so, all you gotta do is...

I, cannot, handle, that, shit! But that's the only thing I can't do. cigars, okay, Hookahs?? Pass that shit over. Pipes? ... a little irritating, but I can still handle it. Just not cigarette smoke.

-Trausio~

[stickmaker]

I'm not quite that bad, but I know where you are coming from.

When smoking was banned where I worked, the smokers would congregate outside around the building entrances. So we still had to walk through their smoke going in or out. I think this was partly them not realizing just how obnoxious they were (the sense of smell is one of the first things to go) and at least some them were getting back at the rest of us for interfering with their "right."

[we_are_spc]

Yeah, we've had that, too.

To the point where they had to put cameras in to make sure people were staying where they were supposed to, and to discourage the odd guide dog handler from not picking up after their dog. (Which I was guiolty of a time or few because hard to find in snow.)

When they finally got it under control there were both disgruntled and happy peoples.

-T~