If you have a son or a daughter, did you ever imagine that they would light up a cigarette and smoke with their friends? Most people imagine all the accomplishments and positive experiences their children will have when the get big, not smoking. Yet, the reality is that most kids end up smoking as adults will experiment with smoking for the first time around the ages of eleven and thirteen. Middle School is the time when kids are trying to figure out who they are, test the boundaries, and look for role models outside of the house. What can be done to prevent them children from smoking before they ever start?

One of the first things that you can do is to nip the idea in the butt that "everyone" that is cool is doing it, pun intended. Assuming you know who your child's role model(s) is/are, ask your son or daughter if they smoke. Point out as many people that he or she looks up to that do not smoke as possible.

If you or your child knows someone who smokes, but is having a hard time quitting, perhaps they would be willing to tell her or him about the bad side of smoking and how difficult it is to quit smoking cigarettes.

Tweens are concerned about their image and how they smell. Use that to your advantage. Point out that people who smoke have yellow teeth, finger nails, wrinkles and a foul odor . Show them what the side effects are in the beginning as well as later on in life. While kids like to look mature, they do not like to look OLD or wrinkly. If you happen to go some where and end up in close proximity to someone who smokes, point out the smell once you are at a safe distance from that person, such as back in your own car.

When a road is being repaved, point out that the tar that is being used and how cigarettes have tar, too. Have them imagine their lungs coated with the stuff and how hard it is to get it out again.

Help them to join groups that regularly talk about the staying drug-free. For instance, athletic groups, Boy or Girl Scouts, church groups, 4H, or any other group in your area. The more your child is exposed to kids who are clean, the more likely they are to stay clean, too.

Some say that punishing a child AFTER they start smoking will simply cause them to react by rebelling even more. Instead, have her or him help you create a no smoking, no drugs contract outlining the consequences for smoking as well as some rewards for not smoking.

Since it is hard to quit smoking cigarettes after the habit is developed, drug prevention is key for Tweens, who are at the age when most people start in the first place.