Dear TLS: As a parent and a former smoker, I want to bring up an issue that all parents of teens should be aware of during these Summer months. As teens, we all had classmates who snuck out of the Yeshivah dorm or buildings to grab a puff. Some, if not most of us, have tried it with some friends too. Now my point of writing this isn’t about the right or wrong of smoking. And back then, it was only just Cigarettes.
But by now, we all know the health hazards just a simple Cigarette poses to us, and I don’t think we need to be educated about the dangers of which a simple picture on a cigarette box clearly depicts, although I may be wrong with that.
Rather, I’m talking about some teens using the ‘Summer chilling’ excuse for getting addicted to Cigarettes, and I’ll give the benefit of the doubt that the addiction sticks to just that.
And I’m not just referring to sleep-away camps where bachurim are ‘free’ from their parents and Rabbeim’s constant monitoring and supervision, but even right here in town, with Bachurim ‘chilling’ during their off days and hours.
It doesn’t take much for a teenager to ‘slip’ these days. We all know it. All it takes is that first ‘hey dude, check it out, it won’t kill ya, it’s cool’, type of comment from your friend’s not-so-Yeshivish friend, while offering him or her that Cigarette or whatever else it may be, for it to spiral out of control. (It’s basically how I started smoking just the regular old fashioned Cigarettes).
We all know how fast and hard, things can fall from there, especially with everything so readily available to our teens.
The everlasting effects these couple weeks can have on a teen’s most precious years, are mind boggling. I’ve seen it by my friends, and I’m sure many have witnessed it too.
So basically what I’m trying to say is, please see to it that your teen’s ‘chilling time’, doesn’t turn into a ‘chilling experience’.
Have a safe Summer.
A parent.
I take offense to your comment ” hey dude, check it out, it won’t kill ya, it’s cool’, type of comment from your friend’s not-so-Yeshivish friend”. I observe a good percentage of people who learn in yeshivah that smoke like a chimney. Smoking has nothing to do with level of observance.
#1 i agree it killed his point! i agree that smoking looks stupid( as a non smoker) but i have to disagree bc it was poorly written.
I am a “working boy” and I do not think I am yeshivish. I do not smoke nor have I ever. However 99% of my friends that stayed in yeshiva and that are considered yeshivish, all smoke about a pack a day. When you write “type of comment from your friend’s not-so-Yeshivish friend” it bothers me. Please look around and stop blaming things on the “not-so-Yeshivish friend” I am that friend and I do not smoke.
#1-he wrote “from your friend’s not-so-Yeshivish friend, while offering him or her that Cigarette or whatever else it may be”… i think he’s not referring to the ciagrette as much as the ‘whatever else it may be’…if you understand what he means..and yes, those ‘whatever else it may be’ is not commonly done by the yeshivish people…
you dont address the issue of a “Yeshivah Mon” taking support from his father in law and smokes. It started in Yeshiva chilling out, maybe in the summer or maybe not.
if you drive kids crazy about it they will smoke more
There’s nothing cool about being addicted to a substance that can be detrimental to one’s health and it is neither Yeshivish nor unYeshivish to smoke. I am a non smoker from a family of non smokers, and none of my children smoke nor do their spouses. They would not date someone who smokes either.
wow. I acan’t beleive what I’m reading here. Let me enlighten you (no pun intended) on the issue as it really is. We go to shul and are met at the door by a mushroom cloud of smoke from 7-9 “yeshivishe” looking guys. They hang out on the front porch of the shul and it’s impossible to not breathe the stuff in while entering the building. They set a great example and then slam us teens for doing as they do. Give me a break why don’t you. No one has the guts to tell these guys not to, but you expect better behavior from us????? As far as us “falling” as you say, instead of kvetching and worrying why don’t you fix the problem. We have no place to daven where we feel accepted because the only ones that arre acceptable are the mitzuyanim or the ones with rich parents. That’s the bottom line. Before you tell us what to do, stop excluding us and treating us as if we don’t exist.
Claiming smoking is a not Yeshivish influence might be denail. Vidie limaskeal
4:20 🙂
Look in front, the side, and back of (moderated) & u will see many serious yes yeshivaish smokers!
We have a much more serious problem than smoking here unfortunately in Lakewood. Its Lakewoods drug problem . since this is a taboo topic, noone wants to bring it up, but its a real serious problem once our children r’l try it once their lives are basically ruined forvever. Each day IN LAkewood ir hakodesh , we are losing children to drugs. A LOT OF children . GEVALT!!! is anyone listening????
We go to shul and are met at the door by a mushroom cloud of smoke from 7-9 “yeshivishe” looking guys.
Really.You meet 7-9 smokers in front shul EVERY DAY?How come I almost never meet any?