the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon8-18web | Page 11

August 2018
M
THE BEACON
DEAR,
ARIE
By, Marie,
Segale, , ,
, marie@
goBEACONnews.com
Dear Marie,
My dad, and his wife have
invited my six-year-old son to
go with them on vacation in
their motorhome. I am strug-
gling with this because my
dad and his wife both smoke.
I don’t want to hurt their feel-
ings, but I don’t want to sub-
ject my son to their smoking.
Marie, how do I handle this
situation?
Dear Valerie,
I can certainly understand
your concern. I’m sure your
dad loves you and your son
very much, just as you love
your son. Your son is six;
your first job is to protect your
child. Even if your dad and
his wife promise not to smoke
in front of him, they may not
realize that, as smokers, they
reek of stale cigarette smoke.
If they usually smoke in their
mobile home, everything in
it also smells. I would gently
and respectfully explain that
to your dad. Of course, you
want to start by saying you
love your dad and you don’t
want to hurt him. You could
also look for some statistics
on the effects of second-hand
smoke. I know this is a tough
situation because you grew
up with your dad smoking
around you. So you know
first-hand what it’s like to be
trapped in an unpleasant situ-
ation and having no say in the
matter.
You know, Valerie, you
could also go the other direc-
tion, and realize how great it
is that your son has a grandpa
in his life. The love, guidance,
and wisdom of grandparents
are treasures not all kids are
fortunate to have