Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road

One of my chores when teaching elementary school was to go through the “Homework Box” to check assignments. Some papers were smeared with jelly or crumpled and torn. Some really did look as if the dog had eaten them. But the most disturbing were those papers which reeked of cigarette smoke. 

Now my little sweeties were not lighting up at home. The smoke I smelled was second-hand. The papers, which had only been in the home for perhaps twelve hours, smelled as if they had been marinated in ashes. If the papers absorbed so much smoke, imagine what the lungs of the little ones did.

We know the dangers of smoking. Smoking causes cancer and emphysema Smoking causes premature aging. Smoking is dangerous for adults, teens, children, and fetuses. Smoking is generally bad news. But current studies show that there are even more dangers than previously detected. Smoking is bad for your brain.

Dr. Frances E. Jensen, in The Teenage Brain, writes about the effects tobacco has on the developing brain. Studies show that “cigarette smoking can cause a variety of cognitive and behavioral problems, including attention deficit disorder and memory loss, and it has been associated with lower IQ in teenagers.” Young brains are quicker to absorb and slower to release the poisons in cigarettes which include arsenic, cadmium, ammonia, and carbon monoxide — all deadly poisons. 

Adolescent smokers consistently score lower on IQ tests than nonsmokers. Early exposure increases the risk. Children, whose little brains are developing most rapidly, may be exposed in utero. Those with the most exposure may lag behind in math, reading, and other skills. 

Teens get addicted fast. They have a harder time “kicking the habit.” As Dr. Jensen notes, “Those who begin smoking in adolescence are also three times as likely to begin using alcohol” with a higher risk for other, more dangerous addictions. Addiction can begin at first exposure. Many start smoking by age twelve. Living with smokers puts children and their brains at risk for addiction. 

Teens are risk-takers. The reasoning/decision-making areas of their brain are still developing. Taking a drag from a friend’s cigarette or sneaking a pack out of Mom’s purse may seem daring and fun. There are many bad choices available to children today. What can parents do? 

Parents must limit the risks teens take. It is your job to ensure your children’s safety. If you smoke, quit. Limit your children’s exposure to second-hand smoke. Be good models for your children. Offer alternatives to risk-taking. Expose your children to good choices. Support their interests. Pay for the drum lessons or the soccer shoes. Take them camping or to concerts. Plan healthy family activities. Know what they are doing and why.

Help them learn to judge the choices they make. Taking a hit off a friend’s cigarette may make you seem cool now, but a lifetime of hacking is disgusting. Check out the stats on tobacco-chewing sports heroes — not their earned run averages, but their cancer rates. Read The Teenage Brain or other publications and know what you are talking about. And talk, and talk, and talk. Open communication with your teen is vital. Speak with authority and kindness. Respect your teen’s opinions. Ignore the rolling eyes. Focus on the listening brain.

The smoky papers I held in my hand were a warning of future troubles. Keep your children off “Tobacco Road.” Keep them, and their brains, on the road to good health. 

#RealBeauty

#RealBeauty

Alicia Keys, pianist, singer, actress, has started a new movement called #NoMakeup. Her face has “gone naked.” Alicia is advocating natural, unembellished beauty appearing in the spotlight unadorned by makeup. I am reminded of another unadorned beauty.

Eleanor was an unattractive child. Her mother called her “Granny” because she had an old face and demeanor. Orphaned before she was ten, Eleanor was sent to live with her grandmother. Grandmother dressed Eleanor in old-fashioned clothes. She made her wear a brace to improve her posture. Eleanor grew up believing that she was ugly and clumsy.

Shy and insecure, Eleanor was sent to boarding school in England where the headmistress, encouraged her to develop her gifts, to speak up in class, and to express her ideas. Eleanor learned to stand up for herself and for others. 

Later, Eleanor started a school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York where she taught children and their mothers to have confidence in their own abilities and to share their strengths with others. She grew so confident in her work that when she met the man she would marry she invited him to join her in working to solve the problems of the poor and disadvantaged. 

You have probably guessed that Eleanor’s last name was Roosevelt. Eleanor continued to work for the rights of women, the poor, minorities, and the disabled for the rest of her life. She stood up to her many critics while the wife of the President and after. She became the first American delegate to the United Nations, helped craft a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and became known as the “First Lady of the World.”

The work Eleanor started continues. Still honored for her intelligence, compassion, and dedication to the cause of human welfare, she is an inspiration to the downtrodden and oppressed everywhere. Eleanor’s inner beauty shone so brightly that all who knew her bathed in its light.

As a teacher, I realized that the little folks gazing up at me from the carpet every day were not checking out my makeup or hairdo. They were checking out my soul. I soon realized that it was much harder to dress up my insides than my outsides. I needed to look for models outside of the fashion pages. 

My class began studying American heroes. We learned that Johnny Appleseed shared all that he had. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to bring rights to everyone. Abraham Lincoln showed compassion for animals, those in bondage, and those in mourning. Helen Keller campaigned for equal opportunities for the disabled. Every hero we studied was a hero because each wanted to help others. 

My students especially loved Eleanor, who “always lent a hand to the hungry and the homeless, all across the land,” was happiest when “lend[ing] a helping hand,” to those most in need, because she had “a heart that had to give.”* We decided that we wanted hearts that wanted to give too. 

I hope that Alicia and all of the celebrities who are joining her #NoMakeup movement will now focus on #RealBeauty. Inner beauty, coming from a heart that has to give, shines brighter than any spotlight. 

*Lyrics from Jonathan Sprout’s “More American Heroes” CD.

Binge Parenting

Binge Parenting

Some years ago, I was ferrying a group of young teens from one activity to another. The subject of a recent party came up. 

“Yeah, Cam had a keg. I took a sip, but beer is nasty!”

“My brother says you have to develop a taste for it.”

“Maybe. I might try it next time. It would be fun to get drunk at least once to see what it’s like.”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. 

Every day, approximately 5,000 young people between the ages of twelve and twenty begin experimenting with alcohol. Psychiatrist Aaron White, in the “National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,” wrote, “If recreational drugs were tools, alcohol would be a sledgehammer.” In other words, alcohol hits teens’ brains hard.

In The Teenage Brain, Dr. Frances Jensen writes that teens initially have a high tolerance for alcohol. They don’t immediately feel impaired when drinking. This tolerance and peer pressure encourage them to keep drinking and to drink more often but “belies the devastating long-term consequences of alcohol on the adolescent brain.” Studies show that alcohol use damages “cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning.” This damage to the brain can lead to attention deficit, depression, memory problems and the inability to set goals. 

Even moderate alcohol consumption can cause memory lapses and an inability to focus. Students may have trouble studying and performing on tests. Heavy or frequent drinkers may “exhibit poorer visual-spatial functioning” which affect “everything from doing mathematics to driving, [to] playing sports.” Teens who can’t focus are more likely to think that life is “boring” — and kids who are bored can get into a lot of trouble. Binge drinking may cause permanent brain damage or death. 

Why do teens start drinking? Adolescent brains are still forming so decision-making may be impaired — even before they take a single drink. Teens are more likely to take risks, to run with the crowd, and to seek thrills. According to Dr. Jensen, “One of the biggest contributing risk factors for adolescents who drink is a family history of alcohol abuse.” Teens are watching adults for cues about behavior. How do you use or abuse alcohol?

Do your children see you reaching for a drink after a stressful day? Do you need alcohol to unwind or to party? Is alcohol part of your daily routine? Do you tell funny stories of drinking parties in your younger days? Have you talked to your teen about the dangers of alcohol to the body and brain? Do you know your teen’s friends and their parents? Do you check to make sure that parents will be home for parties and that alcohol will not be served? Do you serve alcohol to teens?

That day in the car, as the “invisible” adult driver, I could have kept my mouth shut. But I didn’t. I answered the question about the fun of getting drunk just once with a great big “No.” The girls were eager to talk. We had a great discussion about responsible alcohol use. 

Parents must set clear rules, monitor activities, and communicate values to their children from birth through adolescence. Introduce your children to the risks of alcohol in friendly discussions early. Know what you are talking about. Model responsible behavior. Don’t practice “binge parenting.” Be there every day helping them to make good decisions for safe and responsible living. 

(All quotes from The Teenage Brain by Dr. Frances Jensen, MD)