Debbie and her husband Jon have two children. Their son Jonathan, a very inquisitive child, is seven years old and Maddie, their younger daughter, is six. Because of Jonathan’s inquisitive nature, conversations about smoking initially began with his questions when he saw a person with a cigarette. Debbie took these opportunities to educate Jonathan, which led him to form a negative opinion about smoking.

“We talk about making smart choices and that people who smoke may not have been given the right information to make an informed choice. We have the right information now. We talk about it from an educational standpoint. The more you know about it, the better choice you can make.”

Debbie is an elementary school teacher, so educating her children about serious topics such as smoking comes second nature to her. She talks to her kids about how people in past generations didn’t have all the information we do today. They didn’t realize how unhealthy it was to smoke, which is part of the reason why so many people smoked. She believes by giving her children all the facts regarding why they should not smoke, they will be able to make informed choices.