DS13 wants to vape?

[SuperMommy63]

Let me preface by saying I am in America and the legal age to vape in the city where I live is 21.

My DS13 has been to the office multiple times for making vape jokes. He is a bright child but goes to the office a lot for bad behavior. I do routine checkups on his phone. I discovered that he wants to buy a Juul or other type of vape. I learned that his friends let him "hit their Juuls." They are very good kids but they are vaping!

What should I do with my son? Should I tell his friends' parents? Help me!

Vaping is disgusting. As a non vaper walking through clouds of vape smoke is vile. Plus it is illegal for his age. Plus it is expensive.

he vapes = allowance cut and phone removed.

I'm in the UK where the rules about vaping are less stringent. DD is 15 (nearly 16) and vapes. I tried stopping her by confiscating it, and fining her pocket money but she managed to buy another vaper and carried on. There were other things I cared more about and I think it's really important to keep teens taking to you and able to be honest so in the end I agreed to let her keep her vaper on the condition that she never takes it to school and vapes only nicotine free fluids. I think she's sticking to this, as far as I can tell. The health risks from vaping are very small. I would be strict with your DS about the need to not get thrown out of school, or a reputation as a trouble maker and focus on not vaping or making jokes about vaping when as school.

teentimestwo - it's really not expensive, in the UK at least. You can buy a refill for £1 at Poundland that will last a week or more. I think it's a shame that the nicotine refills aren't a bit more expensive, as that would help children not to get hooked. Plus Poundland staff need better training on age IDs

We don't know the risks. They are clearly lower, but they are also unknown. They have not been definitively defined. There is ongoing research on this.

It is also an addictive drug (nicotine). Why get yourself addicted to a drug - unnecessarily?

It is a gateway drug to cigarette smoking. Some vapers buy fags if they run out of vape.

Its ironic as vape was originally used to help people get off cigarettes.

Some teens I know are allowed to vape. I would not allow it. I think its an attitude of mind that teens pick up - from their parents - about what is OK to do or not.

Of course some will "smoke behind the sheds" regardless, but many will not if there is a clear sense of parental disapproval.

Disapproval probably needs to be backed up by 'dangers' and explanations.

I think you should talk to your son, explaining your objections (though it might be a bit late now to be honest). I don't think there's any point in talking to his friends' parents though, in fact it might make things difficult.

@TeenTimesTwo why is it disgusting?

@TeenTimesTwo why is it disgusting?

What does been to the office mean?

Conversation presenting the reasons why you won’t allow it, as well as making it clear the repercussions if he disobeys. With summer coming up it would be awful if he got grounded.....just sayin...

Getting sent to the office of the director of the school

You need to contact the parents of every child you know to be vaping. It is insidious and dangerous.

Show them this

www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/flavouring-found-in-e-cigarettes-linked-to-popcorn-lung/

I can't get my head around the fact that he gets called to the office for making jokes about vapes? If that is the extent of his bad behaviour at school I really wouldn't worry too much about that. As for him wanting to actually vape tell him no,and that if you ever do get a whiff (see what I did there) of him doing so there will be consequences ie confiscation of his phone/playstation/xbox/pocket money/extra chores or whatever. As for informing his friends parents of their vaping,unless I knew them well I wouldn't feel it my place to do so personally.

Teenagers who never have and wouldn't smoke "real" cigarettes choosing to vape is a massive craze at the moment. DD's 13 year old friend vapes, and some slightly older kids vape on the bus to school (not an actual school bus but 96% school kids at school times) . The bus driver has kicked someone off for smoking a cigarette on the bus in the past, quite rightly, but is not interested in the clouds of vape smoke and says nothing.

People who'd never smoke indoors also seem to think it's fine to vape indoors - a colleague vapes in team meetings and sits there like a dragon with clouds of smoke coming out of her nose, making wet rattling noises when she has a drag. It's really quite disgusting.

Vaping has crept in insideously because nobody's paying attention, and it certainly does need cracking down on, if only because it's antisocial, but also because nobody really knows the long term health implications and it's something, like cigarette smoking, which impacts on bystanders as well as active users.

I let my son, however I’m not sure I would with another child.....
He’s always suffered from bullying / not fitting in. Partially because he wouldn’t try cigarettes, weed or alcohol.
However he quite liked vaping and wanted to fit in.
He also pointed out that non of the other kids sought permission first but he didn’t want to lie, and wouldn’t get one if I didn’t want him too.
He purchased one a couple of years ago, only has nicotine free liquid in it and I’d say has used it less than 10 times in all this time.
(It’s in his bedside drawer so check)

Camsie, the liquids carrying the ingredient that may have led to popcorn lung have been discontinued, that ingredient is no longer allowed to be used.

@LuluBellaBlue your son is probably on real cigarettes and weed now because you taught him the way to not get bullied is to join in

Not at all! He also found the confidence to walk away from that group and has a lovely set of friends. I didn’t teach him anything, I let him make his own decision and didn’t try to control him.

Vaping is a brilliant temporary tool to help smokers give up and that is all.

The health implications of long term use of vaping is unknown, when they are eventually realised, it isn't rocket science that directed inhaling of "harmless" flavouring chemicals and sweet propylene glycol and glycerine into your lungs multiple times every day is going to be damaging.

The mind boggles why any parent would condone a non-smoking child vaping.

Mine does, don’t know how often. I certainly don’t condone it but I also have no idea how I’d stop it when I can’t catch him at it.

@holidayreads it is deeply unpleasant. The vape cloud lingers at head height because of it's density and lack of heat. They smell unpleasant - kind of sickly crossed with a feint talky smell. I feel I am forced to inhale baby wipes / cleaning fluid.

Additionally there is little research into the contents of the vaping fluids - who knows what all the vapers are making non vapers inhale.

If you do vape can you please not start vaping the moment you get outside stations / buildings - give us non vapers the chance to walk past you first and let have the choice of not inhaling the crap you want to put into your body.

@holidayreads surely you can understand that it is disgusting that people have to inhale your horrible smoke. I can’t understand people who think it’s ok to stand with these dreadful things blowing them out all over people while being adamant that they are not harmful.. which obviously isn’t true.

It's doesn't take a genius to understand that inhaling anything into your lungs that shouldn't be there is a bad idea - yes I know we have pollution etc but vaping is actively choosing to inhale chemicals...

As someone with a son who has lung disease through no fault of anyone's - I would move heaven and earth to stop my kids vaping or smoking.