Parents have more influence over their children than they might expect. Many parents express the “do as I say not as I do” philosophy. This expression does not work because kids want to be like their parents. Parents think their bad habits do not influence their kids, but they are wrong. Parents are their kids’ role models whether they want to be or not. This is most often true when it comes to drinking or smoking.

Kids who smoke or drink do it because their parents do. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first reason is that they have easy access. Even when parents think they have things hidden, they do not. I, as a kid, know where my parents’ hiding spots are. Kids imitate their parent’s behavior, good or bad.

Parents should not underestimate their influence on their kids. There are many places parents can go to stop or get info on smoking or drinking. There are places like AA meetings or the American Lung Association and others. If parents cannot quit for their own sake, they should have the decency to quit for their kids. This could mean life, death or suffering for the rest of their lives.

Tylor Raymond, Auburn