Dear Chat Daddy, My husband and I are new parents of a wonderful baby boy. My husband wants me to be a stay-at-home mom to take care of our son, but I don’t agree because we are newlyweds and just bought our first home and I don’t want to put
Dear Chat Daddy,
My husband and I are new parents of a wonderful baby boy. My husband wants me to be a stay-at-home mom to take care of our son, but I don’t agree because we are newlyweds and just bought our first home, and I don’t want to put that type of financial burden on him. Besides, I do enjoy my career. My mother in-law has offered to babysit the baby, but she is a chain smoker and has been for over 40 years. As much as I love her, I can’t allow my new baby to be around her as his babysitter because I worry about the effects of secondhand smoke. My husband is telling me that I’m being silly because he was raised in her home and he survived her smoking. Can you share some information on secondhand smoke so I can read your take on this matter?
-Smoke Over Safety
Dear Smoke Over Safety,
Thanks for the letter. I think it is great that your mother in-law wants to help babysit the new bundle of joy. The potential dangers of secondhand smoke have been debated for sometime now. I did some research and here’s what I’ve found out. Children are most vulnerable to secondhand smoke, which can contribute to bronchitis, severe asthma attacks, ear infections and improper lung growth, and it has even been linked to sudden infant death syndrome. You are absolutely justified in feeling apprehensive about your mother in-law babysitting your little one. I would suggest that the three of you sit down and have a family chat so that everyone can be on one accord. Explain that you love her with all your heart, but you are thinking about your baby’s health, which always comes first. I’m wondering if she would just consider not smoking around the baby and whenever she feels the need to have a cigarette, she could step outside. Be encouraged.
Art “Chat Daddy” Sims can be reached via e-mail at chatdaddy@chicagodefender.com.
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