The ban on parents’ smoking
“A ban on parents smoking in front of their children is being considered by the Government.” (The Daily Telegraph, Monday, December 14, 2009). How does this work? Does the government put CCTV into all parents’ houses? Is there a phone line for neighbours to shop you? Is it OK to smoke in your bedroom if you lock the door and your children are not in front of you? Do your children get taken away if you do smoke in front of them? Can you smoke in front of other people’s children?
But of course this is a crusade of the mind, rather than a practical one. It is another nail in the coffin to the idea that parents should see themselves as human beings with their own vices, otlooks and concerns. Parents should only see themselves as determiners of outcomes for their children and behave in the way that society dictates-no matte r how unfounded the rational behind the dictates of acceptable behaviours are. And of course…another nail in the coffin that there should be any notion of locked doors-if you have children all should be open to scrutiny.
Here’s the link to the incredible Telegraph article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6803981/Parents-face-ban-on-smoking-in-front-of-children.html