As a parent, I always hoped that honesty and open communication would be the foundation of my relationship with my kids. I’ve always told them they don’t need to hide anything from me—because if I know what’s going on, I can help them navigate life’s challenges. But lately, I’ve been faced with something that has left me upset, disappointed, and honestly, a little heartbroken: my kids have been vaping.
It started with my oldest boy, who has since decided to quit, and I couldn’t be prouder of him for making that decision. But my middle child? That’s a whole different battle. Trying to pull vaping away from a teenager who doesn’t want to quit is like trying to grab water with your hands—it slips through every crack. And realistically, I know my youngest may face the same temptation one day.
The truth is, stopping kids from vaping is not as easy as it sounds. They get them from their friends. They buy them off other kids. Sometimes they even steal them. And unlike cigarettes, you can’t smell vape on their clothes or their breath—making it nearly impossible to know when it’s happening. These devices come in candy-like flavors that make kids puff on them as if they were harmless, when in reality they are like candy-flavored cancer in a cloud.
And here’s the part that really scares me.
The Dangers of Vaping:
- Nicotine addiction – Kids get hooked quickly, and breaking that habit is a brutal fight.
- Lung damage – Vape aerosols contain harmful chemicals that can scar the lungs permanently.
- Increased risk of heart problems – Studies link vaping to high blood pressure and heart disease.
- Weakened immune system – Making it easier to get sick and harder to recover.
- Mental health impact – Nicotine can increase anxiety, depression, and mood swings.
- Unknown long-term effects – Vaping hasn’t been around long enough for us to see the full picture, but early research isn’t promising.
It’s terrifying to see how normal vaping has become among kids. They’re not puffing on “cool new gadgets”—they’re inhaling chemicals that can destroy their lungs and shorten their lives. But to them, it’s just another flavored cloud, passed between friends like it’s no big deal.
I’m upset. I’m disappointed. But I’m also determined. My kids might not always like my rules or my persistence, but I refuse to give up on protecting them. Parenting through this is a challenge I never wanted to face, but like everything else in life, I’ll keep fighting for them—even when they think they don’t need me to.
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