child chain smoker

[Loosehead]

Just been watching this on more4, horrified is not the word. The little brat smokes 15+ a day at 13. He goes to school when he feels like it and the authorities send a cab each day at tax payers expense. He can't legally buy cigarettes and he may scrounge a few but his mum must be suppling his cigarattes. Is this not a form of child abuse? Why won't the authorities take him away and wean him off? I just don't get it!

[Immi666]

I saw this first time it was on. It's apalling. I can't understand how anyone would let their child get to this state.

[aims1202]

That is a bit harsh, don't forget he is a child. His mum loves him and its not right to just take him away. His mum just hasnt given him any guidence and has not let him grow up. It seemed as though she wasn't very bright and didnt really know what to do. Maybe she wasn't given this as a child either. People like this need help.The fact she smoked was the main reason he did.
I do think they should both be given help not only to stop smoking but also parenting skills and give the boy a chance to experience things that might interest him, if hes not bored he's more likely to stop smoking. They should give him a chance to be a normal, happy, healthy boy. This is what social services should be doing for families like this.

[Reverandfunk]

Mum hasn't been given "guidance" - heaven help us all. It ain't rocket science for anyone to know that someone under 16 should go to school and shouldnt smoke.

What next lessons to teach parents that their children have to eat food 3 times a day and remember to breathe???

[raysparx1]

It is a form of abuse, kids respond to limits, some sadly haven't got any so they do exactly as they like, only one person to blame for this and that is the mother,

[OBonio]

His mum loves him...

Funny way of showing it!

Sounds like a classic case of 'you do what you want, just give me peace and quiet'. Maybe the threat of going into care will make her see the error of her ways.

[Ric.ror]

Instead of the council spending money on children like this why dont they send them to Africa for a couple of weeks and let them see how children with next to nothing can behave with dignity and courage - and they wont be able to get ciggies in the middle of nowhere too!

[paddywak]

The other day I called into a shop on a nearby housing estate and noticed 4 kids (the eldest looked about 13) sat on a bench smoking and drinking cans of cheap larger, I mentioned it to Millie the shop assistant, who replied that the mother of two of the kids had been in and bought the beer and ciggies and had then given them to the kids. At this one of the other customers chipped in that the woman in question often did this to keep them quiet while she disappeared with her "boyfriends". What chance have the little poor ******* got when their own mother treats them like that?

[joko]

unfortunately, some adults attitude is "well thats what my parents were like with me, and it never did me any harm"
completely failing to see how bad they themselves are.

remember those mothers and their 'boxing toddlers'?

[.v.natco.v.]

I find its always down to the parents fault if your child starts smoking, taking drugs, underage sex (anything like that.)

Concently telling your child it is the wrong thing to do-they will finally get it in there brains.
The mother on that programme, i find, isnt doing enough-any parent can stop there child just need to use the right technics. I would of never started smoking or bunking of school because i knew if my parents found out i would be in a hole lot of bother.

A 13 year old smoking is stupid and should be sorted out.
Children learn of there parents. Many of my friends in my teens smoked and i could turn around and say no, so you cant blame pier pressure.

[hundreddolla]

Disgusting - but not surprising. We all see these little cretins everyday. Cretinous parents create cretinous offspring. It's hardly rocket science.