If this is you, then please stop it!
Published 1 year, 10 months ago in My life.A quick whinge.
In my neighbourhood there are three parks that I frequent with my kids. Every playground within the parks is littered with cigarette butts.
Who smokes in a child’s playground? Really, Who does that?
My one year old inevitably tries to eat a cigarette butt just about every day. It is so disgusting!
In one of these parks there are six benches scattered liberally throughout the grassed area where people can happily sit and smoke without it affecting other people, yet the play equipment in this particular park has more cigarette butts than any other!
I have no problem with smokers, I used to be one.
I completely understand that the places where you can smoke have become increasingly limited.
I acknowledge that a park may be a very nice place to sit and smoke and pass the time of day, but if you are one of those people who are smoking in the actual playground and leaving your filthy butts for little kids to pick up and get sick over, please, please have a think about what you are doing and stop it!
21 Responses to “If this is you, then please stop it!”
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Hear hear… that’s disgusting. Although perhaps if there was a bin, people would be more likely to put their butts in there.
Yep there are plenty of bins! It’s just that I don’t think many smokers regard cigarette butts as littering.
how about parents keep an eye on their children and stop them before they can get a cigarette butt in their mouth? let’s take some responsibility for our own actions hey? If a child tries to put some bark in their mouth, do we ban bark from being placed in playgrounds? How about the grass around the playground’s perimeter? If a child puts some grass in it’s mouth, do we take the grass out and replace it with concrete? Come on people. Society is just full of whingers who would rather blame others. Ok, so there’s cigarette butts in the playground. Get over it. If you’re taking your child to the playground, you no doubt won’t be too far away to stop them from grabbing the butts.
And who do these types who throw their rubbish on the ground blame? Certainly not themselves.
You try taking your kids to a park and watching them constantly so they don’t pick up a condom or even a cigarette butt. How much fun do you think it is to constantly nag a child about what they can and can’t touch that some careless grown up has thrown away. BTW playgrounds are made for children to play, not for lazy adults who can’t be bothered cleaning up after themselves.
Pfft “society is full of whingers”, society is full of lazy people who can’t take responsibilty for their own rubbish.
I agree, being a child care worker if I take any of my young relatives to a park I am always making sure that it is safe for them to play. Not just cigarette butts. But syringes, broken glass anything can be a danger. Unfortunately majority of people who do not have kids don’t think that a child might be harmed by their actions. It’s not usually a thing that people do on purposes. It’s that they just do not think about what might happen once that piece of litter, whether it be a cigarette, paper, glass bottle whatever it is once it leaves their hands. It’s just non-thinking. I don’t litter, I don’t smoke but most smokers that I know just dump their butts on the ground, without a thought in the world because that’s what they have always done, they don’t know any different.
Well there is my rant for the day. Thanks for the thought inspiring topic golden1.
and to batigol10 - Have you ever taken any notice of the chemicals and poisons in a cigarette. Bark is a natural product, so is the grass. Cigarette butts are not natural and should be nowhere near children or where a child plays. It is only natural that a child will anything in their mouth it’s how they explore the world around them.
batigol10 are you really asserting that eating a cigarette butt is no worse than eating bark or grass? Really? Cigarettes contain over 4000 thousand chemicals including formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic and DDT. Is it so unreasonable to expect a childs playground to be free of these highly poisonous toxins, no matter how insignificant the amounts may appear to you?
It is clear to me that you do not have children and have never had to try to stop a crawling baby from putting things in his mouth whilst simultaneously attending to the needs of a two year old. I am a very vigilant parent but kids put things in their mouths. That’s what they do! It is surely better that the more dangerous of these things are not within their reach.
I also suspect you may be a smoker, so cleanly did you transfer the responsibility for the butt, from the person who threw it there, to me.
Can I point out to you, that throwing your cigarette butt on the ground is littering and as such, a finable offense.
As I said in my post, as an ex-smoker I am sympathetic to the plight of the tobacco addict and really do not care where it is you choose to smoke yourself to death. I do feel however, that a children’s playground is an inappropriate arena for your habit. It is offensive, it is illegal and above all it is not my responsibility.
The onus of disposing of the cigarette butt has always been and will remain, with the smoker.
While I am a smoker I am one who does not leave my butts on the ground especially if there is a bin to hand. Unfortunately in our society today parents who smoke and take kids to parks are not able to leave the children playing so that they can smoke away from the area but they could pick up their butts. Children die from nicotine posioning and it does not take much. If parents cannot supervise their children properly by having to leave them to find a bin then they should take a container to put the butts in. They probably pick up their dog poo so why not their butts. Children are quick but indi you need to watch them do you turn off your phone so that they have your undivided attention? or do you sit and yack and occassionally cast an eye in their general direction.
Oh and by the way - a cigarette butt and a piece of tan bark look remarkably similar even from the very short distance of say- 6 feet, which is my height. Maybe I need glasses, or maybe you should just pick up your filthy cigarette butts!
wow, what a heated topic. Wouldn’t it be nice, if everyone cleaned up after themselves. Cigarette buts, dog poo, rubbish, wouldn’t the parks and the world be a much nicer place. I would love to see much less rubbish everywhere, but particularly the places where our children play. I am getting tired of explaining to my children why people leave their rubbish everywhere. wherever we go, we always make sure we clean up after ourselves, come on everyone it doesn’t take much. Maybe then we wouldn’t need to whinge about it. Haven’t you heard We are killing our planet, keep it clean by picking up your cigarette buts, your dog poo and all your other rubbish
The mobile phone does not come to the park with us. I play with my kids at the park, not supervise them.
Personally acer, I don’t think it is the parents who smoke at the park. I suspect it may be people who, for one reason or another, can’t smoke at home.
as a matter of fact, i do have a child. Here we go again, harping on about smokers and how inconsiderate they are to the rest of the community. So let’s talk about pollution and the carcinogenic material that pumps out of millions of cars on our roads each day. Are they not toxic and harmful to your children? Are you going to make them wear a mask whenever they go outside?
The intentions of my post was to say just be vigilant. Playgrounds are not the only place where you’ll find cigarette butts, syringes, condoms etc on the ground. And yes, society is too quick to blame others. If you are a realist, you won’t expect every single person to abide by the law and consider others. And what will happen if one day your child decides to take up smoking? All this hot air for nothing. So just accept it and move on. You’d probably prefer to live in a third-world country where there won’t be any cigarette butts on the ground because no-one can afford to smoke.
How interesting batigol10 you tell us that you have a child but have not denied that you are a smoker. So, as a parent who smokes, your criticisms on other parents vigilance has absolutely no credence whatsoever. No doubt you just threw your cigarette butts down on the floor at home since the matter is of so little consequence.
This world is a very toxic place to live. Yes cars pump out a lot of carcinogens, but then again, I don’t take my kids to play in the road!
I have spent a great deal of time and energy making my kids world as safe as possible.
We live in a toxic chemical free house. Our detergents are all organic and biodegradable. Our soap is pure. We use vinegar and bi-carb to clean with. Our mattresses and bedclothes are organic, chemical free and preservative free. I have used biodegradable, unbleached nappies on the kids since they were born and organic hemp seed oil on their skin. We filter both our drinking water and our bathing water. Our food is exclusively organic which is not only good for us but supports sustainable growing practices and these are only a few of the ways which my partner and I have reduced the poison levels in our lives.
So, given the amount of work we put into lowering the toxicity of our children’s world, surely even you can appreciate my irritation that in an area designed to be a safety zone, children have access to poison, and for no other reason than pure selfishness!
One day my children may take up smoking, I hope not, but they may. That will be their decision as adults, but for now I must make their decisions for them. It is a responsibility I take very seriously. The air may be hot, but at least it is clean!
As I have repeatedly stated, there is plenty of room in the park for all, smokers and children alike. I am not such an idealist to suppose that everyone is going to obey the law and consider others, certainly not while they have a mouthpiece such as you to defend their actions, but I absolutely do not have to like it, accept it or get over it.
Perhaps you should go to a third world country, unfortunately smoking is one of the few things they can afford, there are cigarette butts everywhere. You should feel right at home!
Thank goodness one council (Monash I think) is making it illegal to smoke in childrens playgrounds, hope it spreads to all councils. I completely agree with you golden1 but may I suggest you are possibly compromising your kids immune system by being too clean and organic. They need exposure to some germs and toxins to build up immunity.
Thank goodness the laws are changing Mike!
With regards to my kid’s immune systems. No they are not compromised in any way. They have as much exposure to germs and bacteria as any other child. They play with other kids, eat dirt, and explore their world fully. However the human body does not build up immunity to poisons and toxins as you are suggesting. If this was the case, smokers, for example would not get cancer, they would be immune to it. Asbestos workers would not die of mesothelioma if they had built up an immunity.
The body stores poison, generally in fat layers at first, but eventually in the organs. Over the years, it builds up. This is why you do not drop dead after your first cigarette but tend to develop problems over time.
In our case there is a family medical history, but even if this was not so, we would still work hard to reduce toxic levels. The fact that asthma, cancer and other “environment” diseases are so prevalent today is not just chance. People are simply not aware of the amount of poisons they ingest on a daily basis. Tiny amounts from hundreds of sources every day - over, say 30 or 40 years - well - it’s significant.
My partner and I are simply laying the foundations for our kids to be really healthy 90 year olds - putting some health in the bank for old age so to speak.
Now I know that anything can happen in the mean time and they will eventually make their own choices, but we are giving them a fighting chance.
Phewww what started out as quick post has turned into a fairly serious discussion, thanks for being interested!
By The Way - My two kids have never had a cold, nappy rash or even a visit to the doctor! Not many parents can say the same. Must be doing something right!
Fair enough, looks like you’re doing a good job, pity there are not more parents like you. I just got that info from the RCH, but then I guess they only see the sick kids!.
Wow! someone from the RCH actually told you that exposing children to toxins strengthens their immune system? That’s a worry. Hope no one I know ever has to be treated there!!!
I’m not sure how your children not playing on the road means they’re not exposed to car emissions. I’d say that carcinogens from cars can easily make their way to your front yard. They don’t just stop at the kerb. Yep, I’m a smoker. Not a crime. But I don’t drop my butts anywhere. I actually have a small ashtray that I take with me on outings and dispose of the butts in the bin when I get home. Great to hear you’re doing so much to keep your children away from toxins. I wonder how their bodies will react when they eat something that’s not organic later on in life, or the wash their hands at a public toilet with non-organic soap. As ou say in your post, the world is full of toxins, not only from cigarettes. And while I admire your passion for using organic materials, it’s not something that will become the norm in our lifetime, even if we live to 90. And we’re in the same boat in terms of our children. Mine’s never had a cold, nappy rash, or a visit to the doctor apart from the normal health nurse visits. So perhaps i’m doing something right too, even though i smoke.
My kids bodies will react to non-organic material in the same way as other people. The body will process any poisons and get on with it. My point is, that there will be a whole lot less poison in their systems than other people and hopefully, I repeat, hopefully they will not fall victim to any of the diseases that are resultant of being bombarded with poisons from every direction from the day we are born. These diseases are cutting down so many people in their prime and the ripple effect of their deaths, the pain and grief and damage caused is incalculable.
Long may your children’s health continue. I love seeing healthy children and it shows the remarkable resilience of the human body. However, just as we are now realising with our planet, the human body does have a saturation point for toxins, a point where it simply cannot ingest poison anymore and ignore it. This point appears to be somewhere in late middle age, depending on exposure levels and genetic considerations. If, however, there is a hereditary pre-disposition for a particular disease, as there is in our case, this point could be reached a whole lot sooner.
I am sure that you are aware of the inherent dangers of smoking, to yourself, your children and the community in general. But that is your choice and I will always defend your right to make that choice. At no time in this post have I attacked smokers for the choices they are making, merely that if you must smoke where children play, respect other’s choices, and remove the butt when you leave.
I realise that as a smoker you must defend your position with everything you have or else admit the sheer folly of your actions. You have tried to make a case that you are a responsible smoker, unfortunately there is no such thing, no matter how many ashtrays you carry around with you.
I can only hope that when - not if - when you have compromised your own health as a result of your actions, that you will be able to defend those choices to your children just as passionately as you do now, and that they will understand.
And just out of interest - there are plenty of very simple ways to cut down your children’s exposure to car exhaust emmissions.
We try not to drive the kids anywhere during peak hours. We only use the car when absolutely neccessary. We try not to walk along the side of the busier roads and we bought a pram that is as tall as a high chair, so the kids faces are not at the direct level of car exhaust pipes when we are walking on the footpath, as they would be with most types of prams.
No, it is not possible to shield ourselves from all the toxins and pollution in this world. There are plenty of things we can’t do anything about. But we can reduce exposure significantly. It just takes a little effort. My kids are worth the effort. Are yours?
People, people, people ! Don’t try to argue with drug addicts ! Their addiction makes them blind to their poor behaviour, they can rationalise away any argument (I’m surprised Hitler hasn’t been mentioned yet). Poor things, bad enough to be addicted to something, without everyone being down on them all the time. Addicts are inconsiderate, but give them a little leeway, it’s hard to be socially aware after a hit.
As for third world countries, they have the largest percentage of smokers as this is where the tobacco companies are concentrating their efforts after being legislated against in first world countries.