A mum is having what is probably very relatable problem with her teenager, and she is unsure how to deal with it.
Vaping has become a big problem in recent years, with many teens taking up the habit. It was once seen as ‘better’ than smoking, but doctors have warned that it is actually pretty dangerous and can have some nasty side effects for teenagers, too.
‘Young adults view vaping as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, but in fact the repercussions, although less dramatic, are very similar,’ Dr Ed Robinson recently explained.
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A mum took to Reddit to ask for advice after recently discovering that her 17-year-old son vaped, despite her having lung cancer.
Sharing her problem on the parenting platform, the mum said that her son is doing well with school (which he is taking online) and is doing well in his job. However, the problem is that she has found ‘vaping stuff in his position’ more than once.
‘He does his own laundry, so I have found it in the washer and in the dryer, besides once in the bathroom. So he can’t say I’m snooping’.
She explained that she is a ‘very easy going’ mum but is worried about the vaping because it ‘is direct chemicals to the lungs’. She herself has lung cancer, even though she is a non-smoker, so had hoped that he would have more sense.
‘I just am concerned about this use, which we discussed once before but now that I’ve found more I’m not sure what to do.
‘We’ve already discussed it once, so I’m not sure how productive that is, he’s still technically our responsibility and in light of my lung cancer chemo and surgery, I thought he’d be more conscientious about his health,’ she said before asking other parents for their thoughts on the matter.
Many people commiserated in the comments and told the mum that they are sorry for all she is going through. One parent suggested that he gets therapy to help come to terms with his mum’s illness.
‘Teens don’t cope with scary things in a healthy way. They tend to get angry or self-destructive and it might help having another adult tell him he’s being stupid, but in an age-appropriate manner and probably more subtly than you,’ they advised.
‘I can imagine that watching his mother go through treatments for lung cancer is scary and stressful, and vaping is one way he is coping. Not the best way, but arguably better than alcohol or hard drugs. It sounds like he knows you don’t approve, if he’s not doing it in front of you,’ someone else added.
How would you deal with this?
