Be aware.
Is your son or daughter's behavior changing? Is he or she getting sick more? How are things in school? Do their friends smoke?

Take ads apart.
Do your kids recognize the tricks of advertising, both by tobacco and non-tobacco companies? When watching TV, talk about ads, who they target, and what's real and what's not.

Identify smoking messages in your community.
These are messages that imply that smoking is fun and normal. These could be models smoking in popular magazine ads, TV and movie actors smoking, or friends and parents smoking. By understanding these messages, you can help your son or daughter recognize how people are manipulated to smoke and that most kids choose not to smoke.

Advocate against smoking with your children.
Support businesses that don't allow smoking. Write a letter to your congressperson together. Be advised: Kids have easy access to tobacco products despite the laws in every state in the country.

Don't just tell them not to smoke. Show them.
If you smoke, STOP! You are your child's greatest role model. Regardless of how often you tell your kids not to smoke, each time you light up, you are saying that it's okay to smoke. Not to mention that you are a walking advertisement for the tobacco industry. The sooner you quit smoking, the more likely it is that your child will never start. Admit that it's hard to quit. It may take several tries, but your quitting is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your child. Share your difficulties with quitting. If you really want to quit, speak with your healthcare provider or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Talk to your teen’s school.
Does your teen’s school have a tobacco prevention program? The StartSMART program (Students Making Advertisements to Reduce Tobacco) is an engaging tobacco prevention program for middle school students to refuse tobacco. For more information, click here.

For a list of other anti-tobacco Web sites for kids that you can share with your own kids, click here.