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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

smoking in a kids playground/area?

140 replies

carocaro · 08/04/2010 17:26

Three times over the Easter holidays in three different places, all women.

Why?

We can smell it eg: breathe it in. It makes no difference that you are outside.

I told one woman off as he flicked fag ash landed on my sons coat.

From now on I am going to take out cubed smelly blue cheese and throw it chunk by chunk at a smoker in a playground, they are infecting my atmosphere so I will infect theirs.

OP posts:
wahwah · 09/04/2010 14:44

What's getting my goat here are the pious ones who couldn't possibly talk to a smoker and ask them to move or pick up a fag butt.

Thanks for the lovely comment about common decency, but I think I actually have it in real life when I respect people enough to talk to them about their behaviour. If someone blew smoke in my children's faces or held a lit cigarette at their level I would ask them nicely to stop and be considerate. Ime almost always works, but then I don't do nasty little cats arse mouths.

And the sanctimonious bullshit here about lung cancer, ridiculous. Am leaving thread now for you odd people to go on and on.

odette123 · 09/04/2010 14:47

"There are also my pet hates that some smokers seem to think it's okay to hold their lit cigarette at the same height as a toddler's faces"

I don't quite see how smokers can help the length of their arms as that generally dictates how near to the ground a cigarette is when you're holding it . I do try not to poke kids in the eyes with my fag though

Francagoestohollywood · 09/04/2010 14:58

It's not true that the ban on smoking indoors is ignored here in Italy. I've never seen in all these yrs anyone smoking in restaurants, bars etc. It's been quite successful actually.

Luckily though, people don't go tutting if anyone is having a fag outdoors.

Francagoestohollywood · 09/04/2010 15:00

Also, during those tedious hrs at the park/playground, a cigarette is exactly what is needed

usualsuspect · 09/04/2010 15:00

Childrens playgrounds are the most boring places on earth..you need a fag to relieve the boredom

odette123 · 09/04/2010 15:03

People in here need to light lighten up

junglist1 · 09/04/2010 15:08
Grin
BoneyBackJefferson · 09/04/2010 15:41

"And the sanctimonious bullshit here about lung cancer, ridiculous"

de nile is not just a river in egypt.

you may want to take the risk but others don't.

odette123 · 09/04/2010 15:47

I think he/she meant the bs about kids getting lung cancer from inhaling small whiffs of smoke in a playground which quite clearly it would be impossible to contract lung cancer from that level of exposure.

De nile is not just a river in Egypt? Have I time travelled back to 1985 again?

BoneyBackJefferson · 09/04/2010 16:11

Have I time travelled back to 1985 again?

given the amount of BS spoken by smokers

probably

giveitago · 09/04/2010 16:45

Franca - I have to go to south italy for about 2 months per year and I see it routinely - my dh is from a little village and I think it's because they all know one another so they don't care.

Also in the larger towns - took ds to a bar for a quick drink of water - they had another room where there were two people smoking. This was a few weeks ago.

When the ban came in and my dh couldn't smoke at the airport we saw lots of the guards (police or I think it was the other ones) smoking to wind everyone else up - this was at that small airport in rome (can't remember the name) - it drove people nuts as all the flights were delayed!

I think in Italy that if it's a small place and people know one another they just let them get on with it. I routinely stand outside with ds in one bar in the village as they smoke inside.

Yep, I've smoked in a playground when ds is the only person in it and I'm far from him. There's no notice - so I have. When other people around of course I don't.

I think there are alot of santimonious people here - well it's mnet where I've never seen so much support for the death penalty. My expectations are realistic.

I don't care - I ensure that I don't smoke around non-smokers and that's that, no apologies.

I think the backlash (and it's not from me actually) here isn't against the issue but more for the over the top vitriolic attidude of some the posters.

My glorious and clever gran always said that when you point your finger there are three fingers pointing back at you. In resepct of the some of the posters words (div, chav, gross, weak to name a few) - yep she's right. Watch it - you will kill yourselves with your hatred and vitriol. Only a minority of posters made mention of other people's kids and from the majority it me, mine. Nice.

junglist1 · 09/04/2010 16:48

Good post that is. It's all so holier than thou

giveitago · 09/04/2010 16:52

And junglist I'll watch my grammar in future - but not on this post. Not worth the looking over.

runnybottom · 09/04/2010 16:59

Methinks the smokers doth protest too much! You know its pretty chavtastic nasty to smoke in a kids playground, we all do, smokers or not.

5Foot5 · 09/04/2010 17:02

sassybeast - have you even read the rest of this thread?

Your comments are so far away from the rest of the discussion I suspect the red mist descended when you saw it was a smoking thread and you decided to put in your two pennorth without bothering to see what everyone else was actually talking about

junglist1 · 09/04/2010 17:04

So people who smoke in playgrounds are chavs and middle class people are over precious and want to rule the world due to a massive sense of entitlement

Francagoestohollywood · 09/04/2010 17:11

Giveitago, yes, it might be easier to avoid the law in small villages. Though I really haven't seen anyone smoking indoors since the ban, I have to say this.

I don't know. I really don't think "my" children's health is threatened by crossing paths with people smoking outdoors. Nor do I believe that seeing the odd adult having a fag will set a terrible example for them. I think teenagers start smoking to copy their peers, not to follow the example of a random adult stranger they saw smoking at the park when they were 3.

runnybottom · 09/04/2010 17:13

Yes, thinking a childrens playground is not the best place for a fag is exactly the same thing as wanting to rule the world. In fact I think I'll go change my name to Ming the Merciless. Maybe you should change your's to Fag Ash Lil and we'll be even?

junglist1 · 09/04/2010 17:16

I don't smoke so why would I? This is just all precious and people are using it to sneer at "chavs"

giveitago · 09/04/2010 17:33

Franca I don't live in Italy - I've seen many young (I'm saying 15/16) smoking - I think it's a rebel thing. More people in italy smoke but I still don't think it's got anything to do with parents.

But my dh's family (i'm talking extended family)smoke alot and as they've been through the smoking in the faces of their now grown up children they are not particularly interested in the 'idea' of the ban, ie health, so when there I often just go for a walk with ds to get him out of a smoky atmosphere. My attitude is it's their home they can do what they want. Their home their rules and I just grab ds and have play walk outside. I'm their guest.

I'm talking south italy here.

I'm happy for ds to be outside with the odd smoker. I'm not a fan of people smoking around kids but it happens everywhere. Polluting cars happen where I live.

I smoke. I control within my morals but I don't expect to be able to control others' habits.

giveitago · 09/04/2010 17:37

And franca - my other point is about copying bad habits -I think that Italians drink more with meals than in the UK. Italian kids are exposed to more alcohol in their early years than their UK counterparts but yet in Italy the youth drinking is far more moderate (yes I know there is increasing concern of drunk youths but not nearly at the level of the UK) - I think drinking and smoking is more due to other factors.

Francagoestohollywood · 09/04/2010 17:49

Yes, I agree Giveitago.

runnybottom · 09/04/2010 18:03

Interesting definition of precious.

I don't really care if anyone smokes in the playground, I don't think its dangerous or anything, or even a bad example.

I just think you're fooling yourself if you don't think lots of people (including, these days, small children) will be looking at you thinking not very nice things. Attitudes have changed, its just not very acceptable anymore, to most people.
No skin off my nose though.

giveitago · 09/04/2010 18:05

Yes Franca it's easy to say that we all copy our parents - but in Italy more smokers and less heavy duty drinkers but in the UK it appears to be the other way around - UK drinking is well documented and it's a real issue.

I think in part it's due to more parental control in Italy but also the UK appears to create very 'lonely' kids and they drink to excess.

My dh tells ds that he is drinking wine with his meal so hopefully when ds grows up he associates wine at least with good food rather than gulping it down at the pub. But let's wait and see! Agh!

MoreCrackThanHarlem · 09/04/2010 18:06

'So people who smoke in playgrounds are chavs and middle class people are over precious and want to rule the world due to a massive sense of entitlement'

junglist that chip on your shoulder wrt your perception of class is getting bigger with every post

smoking in playgrounds is not a class issue
it is a self control issue
it is a priority issue
it is a manners issue