the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon8-18web | Page 11

August 2018 M THE BEACON DEAR, ARIE By, Marie, Segale, , , , marie@ goBEACONnews.com Dear Marie, My dad, and his wife have invited my six-year-old son to go with them on vacation in their motorhome. I am strug- gling with this because my dad and his wife both smoke. I don’t want to hurt their feel- ings, but I don’t want to sub- ject my son to their smoking. Marie, how do I handle this situation? Dear Valerie, I can certainly understand your concern. I’m sure your dad loves you and your son very much, just as you love your son. Your son is six; your first job is to protect your child. Even if your dad and his wife promise not to smoke in front of him, they may not realize that, as smokers, they reek of stale cigarette smoke. If they usually smoke in their mobile home, everything in it also smells. I would gently and respectfully explain that to your dad. Of course, you want to start by saying you love your dad and you don’t want to hurt him. You could also look for some statistics on the effects of second-hand smoke. I know this is a tough situation because you grew up with your dad smoking around you. So you know first-hand what it’s like to be trapped in an unpleasant situ- ation and having no say in the matter. You know, Valerie, you could also go the other direc- tion, and realize how great it is that your son has a grandpa in his life. The love, guidance, and wisdom of grandparents are treasures not all kids are fortunate to have