Although you have certainly heard other people talk to you about unhealthy habits, perhaps my gentle encouragement will get you closer to your goals. I’m talking about the unhealthy abits that you never want your children to adopt – smoking, drinking too much, overeating, and using recreational drugs.

Smoking is very addictive. Most people need help cutting down or quitting. Medical professionals can help you receive free materials, such as patches and gum, which will make a difference. When you smoke in front of your child, you are greatly increasing the risk of lung disease, heart disease, and cancer for your child. Your child sees you smoke and recognizes the behavior as something normal that adults do. And it doesn’t matter if you smoke or vape. Vaping is not any safer or better to do in front of a child. People who stop smoking immediately improve their lungs and decrease the chances of getting lung cancer.

The rate of death from drinking alcohol has doubled in the last year. Children and adolescents see you drink, and they recognize only that alcohol is a drug that gets you intoxicated like cannabis. Your behavior will be mirrored by your children. The number of fatal and near-fatal illnesses that alcohol causes takes up pages. Having alcohol in the house increases the risks that your children will drink without your knowledge. Most importantly, children need to see that people can have fun without getting inebriated. The number of people in movies or on television who can’t seem to get through a day without cigarettes or alcohol is enormous. We need to counteract this erroneous impression by pointing out how awful it is when we see it and by being better examples. And what I’ve said for cigarettes and alcohol goes double for drugs like cannabis, even if they’re legal. We have a duty to protect our children from bad decisions, but they’ll never believe you if your actions contradict your recommendations.

You can stop smoking and never smoke again. The same goes for drugs and alcohol. But you can’t stop eating. I hate to sound like a nag, but there are right ways and wrong ways to approach eating in moderation. The first step is to get some education. Talking to your doctor or your child’s doctor about diet can be a very rewarding first step. Avoiding processed foods like soda, chips, lunch meats, ice cream, sugary cereals, and white bread is an easy beginning. Portion control means using smaller plates, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding high-calorie snacks. Try one new thing and see how it works for you. Remember, your decision will affect your children’s health for the rest of their lives.

My conclusion is simple: if you have been unable to develop better habits for your own health, do it for your children.

Robert B. Golenbock, MD, is currently retired. He has cared for children in the Danbury area for 43 years, including at the Center for Pediatric Medicine. The CPM is located at 107 Newtown Rd, #1D, Danbury, CT, 06810. For more information, please call (203) 790-0822 or visit https://centerforpediatricmedct.com.