Imagine a child following his parents' footsteps. Adorable, right? Not always. When you have a parent who is constantly blowing unicorn shaped smoke clouds in front of you, it is not something to look up to. Unfortunately, parents smoking in front of children, is not something uncommon in Bangladeshi households.

It is the habit of most children to consider everything that their parents do to be righteous. A lot of teenagers assume that since their parents have the right to smoke, so do they. Even with the knowledge of the life threatening diseases associated with smoking, they still feel pretty excited about taking it up.

“My father has been smoking ever since I can remember. I don't see why he should react to me smoking,” says Shojol, a college student. Whereas for a lot of teenage boys, smoking is regarded as an act of initiation into manhood, a handful lot take up the habit just to be “rebels”.

“I've been telling my father to quit smoking for a long time. He promises, stops for a few hours, and then just goes back to the previous routine. It really gets frustrating sometimes,” says Oishi, 12-year-old daughter of a chain smoker.

The constant breaking of promises of quitting smoking sometimes gives rise to trust issues among children. Some just give up the persuading and either take up the addiction themselves or just become indifferent towards smoking.

In some cases, children whose parents smoke tend to feel insecure, as they develop an idea over time that their parents do not care about them and their own wellbeing, although that is not always the case. Nicotine is one of those drugs whose addiction cannot be weaned off that easily.

When asked about her smoking habit, a mother of a 17-year-old says, “I always take my daughter's opinion into account. She hates that I smoke but also understands that it's a habit that I've formed over years. I began smoking during my university life. I've tried quitting several times over the years, but it's a habit that simply sticks. I understand the harm it does to me, and unfortunately I still do it with an active conscience.”

When every piece of article in the house reeks of tobacco 24/7, it becomes intolerable for those with a very sensitive nose. “I could never stand the stench of cigarettes, which is why my father would smoke in the balcony, but it would still get into the rooms and make me choke,” says an annoyed Sudipta.

Although parents try to make sure that their children realise there is nothing worse than smoking, the hypocrisy is just too much when they themselves are puffing about 20 cigarettes a day. However, it is definitely a good idea to listen to this piece of advice, because we really wouldn't want our children to inhale the same poison. Time to break this vicious cycle.