Kick Butts Day is Coming

Posted by Susan Carney Feb 10, 2007

Okay, I’ll admit it. I used to smoke. A lot. In fact, I was one of those smokers who started as a teen, convinced myself I would never get addicted, and worked my way up to nearly two packs a day. Even a collapsed lung in my late twenties only kept me off the smokes for about eighteen months. It took getting pregnant to get me to kick the habit for good, and even now, I still have my moments. Like Chandler on “Friends”, I often get giddy and wistful when around a smoker. The urge is still there, lurking. It’s a lifelong battle.

This is why I am so emphatic with kids about never starting to smoke in the first place. Luckily, smoking has largely fallen out of style in the past few years. Tougher laws regarding tobacco advertising, smoking bans, and education about the health effects have all contributed.

But everyday, thousands of kids are still smoking. These companies know where the kids are, and they know how to get around the advertising restrictions. They sponsor concerts and sporting events. They hire hip looking young adults to mingle with the crowd and spread the product around. Recently, a flurry of new fruit and mint flavored tobacco products has been introduced. Clearly, kids are still being targeted. And it’s up to us to figure out how to keep them from lighting that first cigarette.

March 28th is Kick Butts Day, which is The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' “annual celebration of youth advocacy, leadership and activism. KBD is a day to stand out, speak up and seize control in the fight against tobacco. It is an important opportunity to raise awareness about the tobacco problem and support strong tobacco prevention policies.” Check out their website for tons of cool activities you can do with kids to help them become leaders in tobacco prevention.