Babies and cigarettes don’t really go together, but if you walk the streets of Aarhus or Copenhagen or even go to a mall during the day, you will probably see some mothers smoking right in front of their baby carriages. And in the most normal Danish behavior, no one will say anything – they will see it and go right back to whatever they were doing, minding their own business.
Do all mothers in Denmark do this? NOPE, but plenty do.
Is it socially acceptable to smoke in front of small children (not just in outside areas) in Denmark? Well, THAT I would like to ask Danes. My impression is that it is, since I don’t see people staring at such parents or behaving any different around them.
This behavior does surprise me. In a society that all get a good education and the effects of cigarettes are widely known, how can this still happen so often?
langvang
paulathecatlady
marriedtoadane
In addition to this i have seen lots of pregnant women smoking as well. That’s also very harmful. It also surprises me.
By: Aliya Qamar on May 21, 2009
at 8:35
Although we all have to be accountable, I guess you can’t really put the blame solely on the individual. It is also the blame of cigarette companies, government, society etc. However in such an educated country as Denmark, it is surprising.
By: lindsay bowden on May 25, 2009
at 8:35
Being a Dane (and a smoker, but not a woman
, I thought I would try and give an answer.
Smoking outside in front of children is generally accepted. Smoking inside is not really socially accepted anymore, and certainly not when children is around. All the parents I know either quit smoking when they got children, or only smoke outside. And I do think that is the norm.
I haven’t noticed many pregnant women smoking myself. And generally I think it is frowned upon.
However, it is unlikely that anybody would confront a pregnant woman who is smoking. Now that would be socially unacceptable
By: Lars Pedersen on May 25, 2009
at 8:35
My husband and I visited his friend who had just taken their baby home from the hospital and I was shock when both the parents smoke in from of the baby. I was just new here so I was shocked I asked them why they smoking in front the baby, the mother answered back ” Oh it is not because we opened the windows so the smoke will go out” DUUH.
I know its hard when to quit but when you decide to become a parent you have to prioritize what is the best for your child.
My husband is a smoker but when I asked him to smoke outside and I just wish he will quit but I’ll doubt about.
By: Ana on May 27, 2009
at 8:35
yes, it should be punished to the full extent of the law. I think it is much more harmful than giving a child a pat on the butt every once in a blue moon for bad behavior, but you get arrested here for that. crazy the world we live in!!!
By: divalb on May 27, 2009
at 8:35
Lars, you pointed something that I overlooked… Danes are not confrontational people, so I guess the fact that no one would say anything to a pregnant woman smoking or to parents smoking indoors with children around, doesn’t mean that they don’t condemn such behaviors – could simply mean they don’t want to be invasive or rude.
Ana, that shocks me… that is very irresponsible! And a woman who is going to breastfeed shouldn’t even be smoking in the first place!
I have seen pregnant women smoking, but never being a smoker myself, I can’t imagine how difficult it is to quit, especially when the pregnancy wasn’t planned. I am not saying that I think they shouldn’t quit, but looking at “efforts”, a woman who smokes in a closed room with a baby to me seems like a much more careless parent than the one who smokes during the pregnancy. But efforts are not what counts when it comes to consequences, so of course I think no woman should smoke while pregnant nor should they smoke in front of children…
Lara, I think the government should hire Europark to give tickets to such people and for people who throw cigarette buds on the streets
Europark sure does a good job in ticketing… I have gotten 2 parking tickets myself…
By: paulathecatlady on May 30, 2009
at 8:35
Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for posting.
By: KrisBelucci on June 2, 2009
at 8:35
what about issues with breast feeding when you are smoking? So they are actually feeding the nicotene to their children. what’s the point of breast feeding if the mother smokes since it goes directly into the baby. I think it is then better to do formula in that case.
By: Lara on June 3, 2009
at 8:35
I have wondered about that too, Lara. I have heard that women who are breastfeeding should drink because that goes to the baby, probably nicotine has the same effect… actually cigarettes have over 2000 other chemicals
By: paulathecatlady on June 3, 2009
at 8:35
yes, birth defects when you are pregnant and nicoteine addiction when you are pregnant as well as breast feeding. Not a good combination and in my opinion an extremely selfish behavior. Women who want to continue smoking do not deserve to have children cause it is apparent what their first priority is and that definitely is not their children.
By: Lara on June 3, 2009
at 8:35
I remember when a colleague sent sin son to a continuation school “efterskole”.
The issue of supplying his kid with tobacco became a big issue for him and he ended up pulling his son in the end.
I believe that smoking symbolize freedom and they don’t like experts. The former prime minister went after some of those experts in a previous speech but now we know that it only was a question of who the experts should be.
Anyhow most Danes don’t care about if they are going to die a few years before. They already have lost their early retirement “efterloen” so I think that they think all those advices are just a trick to get the population to live so long that they will end up paying taxes some additional years before they can retire.
By: rotsne on July 23, 2009
at 8:35