should the lollipop man be smoking?

[biddysmama]

i live across from the school and the lollipop man stands in front of my window.

he usually has 2 cigarretes while he's there

aibu to think he should wait and its not showing the children a good example?

Petiteraleuse is right. See this

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/beginning-of-the-end-for-lollipop-men-and-women-2169857.html

If you report him and he loses his job they might not replace him.

Unless he is deliberately blowing the smoke in the kids faces or selling them single fags -I wouldn't have a problem. I am not a smoker btw.

Is it possible that he's having a fag before his shift, and a fag after. No fags during the shift. But that the real issue to OP is it's in front of OP's window?

If yes, YABabitU.

If not OP, and he's sparking up during his shift then YANBU and I would pop into the school office and have a word.

Having said that, watching the way nutters drive AT our Lollypop man in the morning I almost wouldn't begrudge him a fag to steel his nerves. It's like going over the top.

"if a street sweeper standing outside the window having a smoke would be under the same scrutiny!"

Is he/she on a break? Wouldn't bother me. Is he/she working with a fag in hand? Wouldn't be particularly impressed but not my business. Is he/she stood outside a school playground at break time? Not acceptable IMO.

School caretaker, builders working on a school site, doctor stood outside a children's ward- anyone smoking while on duty is unprofessional and around children I would consider it unacceptable.

I would say somethig to him if it was me.
I have 3 kids and they look up to the lollypop people.
I smoke but i dont let my kids see me doing it and i certainly would mind if i saw one of ours smoking.
Speak to him and if that doesnt work complain. its not right and he shouldnt be smoking at work or in uniform XX

Wasn't there a thread ages ago about a teacher getting repremanded (sp) by the head teacher because a parent saw her smoking in her OWN back garden on a SATURDAY afternoon?

I don't think it sets a very good picture tbh. Why on earth can he not abstain for the small amount of time he works?

No, children know perfectly well that not everybody smokes. They are smart enough to see that some smoke and some don't. Children from a very young age are also perfectly aware that smoking is very bad to one's health, so much so that children are usually the most vocal anti smokers.

I don't find the idea of shielding children from seeing people smoking a fag particularly brilliant, given that we have the opportunity to actually talk to them and discuss other people's behaviour, habits etc.

I think I remember that Hairy -

Loads of outdoors council workers smoke. The people who do the lawn mowing and stuff do anyway.

I think YANBU to think what you like, but Y would BU to report him.

If you report him and he gets sacked, how would you feel? I wouldn't want anyone to lose their job unless they'd done something horrific. A couple of tabs outdoors is no biggy. get a grip.

I find this whole debate deeply depressing, not because of what it says about attitudes to smoking but because of what it says about many other public antisocial behaviours, infinitely more corrosive and unpleasant than this utterly trivial business of a smoking lollipop man, that we don't dare challenge.

Perhaps it's because there's someone this man can be 'reported to', so we can indulge our desire to control the behaviour of others without needing the moral courage to challenge those others directly. Or perhaps it's that smoking is the one public behaviour that we're still allowed to be judgemental about.

I think this smoking lollipop man here is a proxy for the countless other unpleasant public behaviours that we are no longer permitted to challenge because of 'personal choice', the threat of violence or a mixture of both. People are advocating reporting him more because he can be reported than because his smoking would have any effect whatsoever on the children who pass him during his brief hour of helpful, low-paid, public service work. He's a stand-in for all the nasty, boorish people our children walk past every day, and who can't be reported because they're just people.

I'm not sure that's true. I reported the roadworkers because if the council want to prosecute people for smoking in non smoking areas and for littering then it's helpful if the public don't witness the staff doing it.

I am a non-smoker,(and always will be), but this anti smoking nonsense really has gone too far. you got your advertising ban, your indoor ban, your vending machine ban, your adoption ban. anything else?

If someone were smoking outside my house and the smell was coming straight in the window, I see no reason why I should have to shut my windows. What if it is a warm day and my room becomes stifling, all so that a smoker may smoke in peace?
I don't see why that is even an option.
I suppose it depends on how the op thinks he may react, but I would not think twice before going to him to request that he stops blowing his smoke in my house.
It could be that he is completely unaware that it is going in her house and be full of apologise.

I see no reason why he cannot just wait until his shift is over, but the op has not been clear, despite being asked, if he is smoking during his shift.

Just attack him. Outright attack him. No job is worth random violence.

Unless he was concentrating on blowing smoke rings in the air, and ignoring the kids ...then I think I would just leave it.

Really, life is too short.

mx5 smokers can't adopt?

i don't think he should be smoking, and i;m a smoker to.

When i did my ta training i wouldn't have a smoke from 12.30pm until 3.30pm, sometimes longer. I made the choice to work with children, so knew i couldn't smoke..

You could have a word with him, especially as the smoke is going into your house xxxx

Oh ffs, this is ridiculous.

I can't believe the number of people who would consider reporting him. He's having a FAG.

I don't smoke, have never smoked and don't particularly like it, but let's be realistic. It's not the end of the world. Give the poor man a break.

You have to balance your concerns that he is a a poor role model against the concern that if he's sacked the children will probably be crossing the road alone and may be involved in an accident.
Lollipop people are very hard to get and difficult to replace.
Do you think all parents should be banned from smoking at all times until their children are 18?

yes hes smoking during his shift, he pulls up outside in his car, gets out with his high vis jacket on and 'lollipop' then has a fag after that, while children are around

i NEVER said i was going to report him, other people said that, i just asked if i was bu to think he should wait, tbh (and as an ex smoker) i dont see why he couldnt have one in his car before he started then afterwards (around 45 mins)

YANBU if he's having a fag during the course of his work. YABU if he's on a break and happens to stand outside your house taking it. But as someone else said he's only there for an hour or so? So can't see him being entitled to one.

It's not setting a good example but I wouldn't report him.

yabu -cos you're lucky to have lollipop man at all