Andrea and her husband Jeff are raising two boys. Matthew is 10 years old and their younger son Andrew, is six. Andrea is the assistant manager at a retail store, a job which allows her flexibility to work and be an active part of her children’s lives. Andrea finds the school system has been a good partner in educating her sons about the dangers of smoking. Seeing information coming home from school has provided a launch point for her discussion with her son about not smoking.

“We’ve had conversations just going into a restaurant. The question you’re asked when you go to put your name down is ‘do you want smoking or non-smoking’ so the opportunity is always there. We’re all eating out.”

One opportunity to discuss not smoking with her children recently arose when Andrea and her family went out to eat. The restaurant’s hostess asked if they wanted to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section. Using this real-life experience to discuss why they would not want to sit in the smoking section helped start a conversation about staying clear of cigarettes.