no more, no less. a pediatrician looks at ALL parents as POTENTIAL abusers.

[Voice for Peace]

12. abuse can take many forms..

I don't agree that a parent who smokes is abusing
their kid, unless it's right in their face or around them
all the time. I wouldn't make that auto assumption.

Some of the kindest and wisest people I know are
or have been smokers, and have raised extraordinary
healthy and psychologically un-damaged offspring.

Most of us breathe eat and drink much worse than
what you describe almost all of the time. It's impossible
to avoid the innumerable toxins floating in the air, coating
the surfaces of everything we touch. Almost impossible
to avoid absorbing all these toxins into our bodies,
much worse ones than nicotine, too.

I agree that it's not good for kids to be around smoking
but I hope you make your point with a great deal of
compassion for the smoking parents as well. Being
accused of child abuse is probably not going to help
them quit.

And I don't mean at all to belittle your point. But
to me some of the worst abuse comes from parental
words and expectations -- nothing overt like beatings
or even smoking. Parents who are unkind and
judgmental, punitive, do way more long-term damage
than a bit of second hand smoke. (my opinion)