Mom of toddler smoker in Indonesia seeks help for him

[Pratiksha]

Mom of toddler smoker in Indonesia seeks help for him


vdo

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Two-year-old Aldi yanked on his mother's hair and squirmed in her arms.
Tears formed a small pool in the folds of his double chin.
"He's crying because he wants a cigarette," said Diana, his mother, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.
We caught up with Aldi, who is nearly twice the weight of other babies his age (20 kilograms or 44 pounds), and his mother at Jakarta's airport.
Video of him plopped on a brightly-colored toy truck inhaling deeply and happily blowing smoke rings had circulated on the Internet last week, turning him into a local celebrity.
As we spoke to his mother, a crowd gathered and a man taunted Aldi with a cigarette, blowing smoke in his direction.
"Smoking has been a part of our culture for so long it isn't perceived as being hazardous, as causing illness, as poisonous," said Seto Mulyadi, chairman of Indonesia's National Commission for Child Protection. "A lot of adults who are around children will smoke. They will carry a baby in one hand and a cigarette in another. Even mothers don't understand that they are poisoning their children."
Mulyadi met with Aldi in Jakarta, where his mother brought him for help. He said Aldi was a bright boy, quicker than most children his age.
He also said Aldi was a victim of his environment.
Mulyadi told Diana that she needed to find other things to occupy the boy's time.
But he told us what was disturbing was that the parents motivation to get Aldi to quit wasn't stemming primarily from an understanding of the risk to his health, but more from the cost of spending four dollars a day -- Aldi smokes an average of 40 cigarettes daily.
"Well, I don't want to give him cigarettes, but what I am I supposed to do? I am confused," his mother said. "I didn't let him smoke, I even forbade him from smoking, but I was trying to stop him from getting sick."
She showed us a scar on Aldi's head, where she said he smashed his head into a wall during one of his tantrums. She said he also vomits when he can't satisfy his addiction.
"I was smoking when I was pregnant, but after I gave birth I quit," she said. "I don't remember when, but we went to the market and then suddenly he had a cigarette in his hand. Even when he was a baby and he would smell smoke he would be happy."
Both she and her husband have quit smoking. She said that Aldi had cut down his habit in Jakarta and hopefully he will soon quit.
"For us, it's not shocking at all, but it's very, very sad," Mulyadi said. "What we know about this phenomenon is only the tip of the iceberg."
He said ignorance about the dangers of smoking is compounded by aggressive advertising by tobacco companies.
Nearly 170 nations have signed a treaty calling for health warnings and other anti-smoking measures. Indonesia, however, is the only country in the Asia-Pacific region not to have ratified the World Health Organization's framework on tobacco control. Legislation has been stuck in parliament for years.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Tritarayati, said: "We're still discussing it."
A study by the child protection commission shows that between 2001 and 2007, the number of children smoking between the ages of five and nine jumped 400 percent. That is tens of thousands of cases and does not take into account children like Aldi, who are under the age of five.
Mulyadi believes the number is significantly higher and child smokers are getting younger.
A few months ago, video of a four-year-old Indonesian boy smoking also appeared online. An adult male voice prompts him off camera and laughs as the child blows smoke rings calling himself a "bad boy."
That child was also helped by the National Commission for Child Protection and is now smoke free, Mulyadi said.
"We are fighting to remind the country that we really need to protect our children," Mulyadi said.
Aldi's mother asked to end to the interview after she had spoken with us for a few minutes. She said she was tired.
"I learned that I can't use force to stop him, but I need to be gentle and try to distract him."
We asked her what she had learned about her child and smoking: "I learned that my kid is smart and he doesn't have any illnesses," she said.
Diana seemed uncomfortable with the attention and the questions. Cheeks wet, Aldi waved a chubby arm goodbye to the watching crowd.

[Anonymous]

what is the world coming to
such disgusting things have bcom commonplace today

[Pratiksha]

What confused me was that how did he get into this chain smoking habit/addiction? A two year old for god sake's

[Anonymous]

abhimanyu ishtyle, he picked it up while being in garbh.

he smokes 40 cigs a day
his father says there is nothing to worry, he is all fit & fine

Einstein once said "there r two things infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And i m not sure of the former". how true.

[Rakhi]

Its like taking severe drugs during pregnancy, stopping after the baby is born and wondering how the baby is addicted!

[echarcha]

I pity the kid who could not choose his parents...

[sprite]

Originally Posted by Rakhi

Its like taking severe drugs during pregnancy, stopping after the baby is born and wondering how the baby is addicted!

.................

[Rakhi]

Originally Posted by sprite

.................

what?????????

[sprite]

Originally Posted by Rakhi

what?????????

I din't get the meaning and connection of your post with this piece of news...mind elaborating

Its like taking severe drugs during pregnancy, stopping after the baby is born and wondering how the baby is addicted!

[Rakhi]

Originally Posted by sprite

I din't get the meaning and connection of your post with this piece of news...mind elaborating

I was referring to the below, perhaps addicted is a wrong word:

This is the the list given to pregnant women here by their OBGYN's so that NONE of the pregnant women attempt to take drugs during pregnancy. (got this list from my SIL).

• Withdrawal-- jitters, tremors, and/or seizures; sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea,
• Methamphedamine addicted infants may sleep and be difficult to wake for feedings for several weeks, then cry inconsolably for the next 6 months.
• Crying-- The drug-addicted baby's cry is ear-piercing. They cry for long periods and are inconsolable.
• Poor temperature control--fevers
• Muscle stiffness
• Reflexes-- some may be missing altogether or more intense than normal
• Feeding difficulties--They may have problems with nipple recognition or with coordinating the suck-swallow-breathe process.
• Digestive disorders which could lead to failure to thrive
• Allergies-- Respiratory problems
• Sleep disorders
• Bonding difficulties-- They pull away from touch because they are hypersensitive and in pain.
• At greater risk for SIDs
• Behavioral disorders-- hyperactivity and aggression
• Developmental delays
• Neurological abnormalities
• Methamphetamine addicted infants may smell foul from the toxins being purged from their systems.

[kkkk]

Originally Posted by sprite

I din't get the meaning and connection of your post with this piece of news...mind elaborating

is case mein, the mother (and the father) used to smoke heavily while she was pregnant but gave up after the baby was born. That is probably why the kid was born addicted.

[kkkk]

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Einstein once said "there r two things infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And i m not sure of the former". how true.

Its probably not about stupidity, its about realisation. These people do not realise or acknowledge that smoking is bad for health. Its common-place for them. If they had let the baby smoke despite knowing its ill health effects, then it would have been stupidity.
Its like global warming, people refuse to believe that pollution and all the overall bad things that man and his industrialisation brings on causes global warming and climate change. Such people will not necessarily think unlimited pollution and industrialisation is bad.

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by kkkk

Its probably not about stupidity, its about realisation. These people do not realise or acknowledge that smoking is bad for health. Its common-place for them. If they had let the baby smoke despite knowing its ill health effects, then it would have been stupidity.

k4 pai, i was referring more towards his father thinking that it was ok if the child smokes 40cigs/day since (according to him) the child is all fit&fine.

[Pratiksha]

Originally Posted by kkkk

is case mein, the mother (and the father) used to smoke heavily while she was pregnant but gave up after the baby was born. That is probably why the kid was born addicted.

but which mai-ka-lal gave this not-even-a-toddler-still-a-baby his first cigarette in his hand????

[kkkk]

Originally Posted by Anonymous

k4 pai, i was referring more towards his father thinking that it was ok if the child smokes 40cigs/day since (according to him) the child is all fit&fine.

thats the point. they dont think smoking is bad, they see their kid running, crying, shouting, playing, throwing tantrums, uttering non-sense that 2 yr olds mutter and they think the kid is fine.
It seems thailand is one of the countries where no attempt is made to raise awareness about smoking and its ill effects. Even the ciggi packets dont carry warnings...

Originally Posted by Pratiksha

but which mai-ka-lal gave this not-even-a-toddler-still-a-baby his first cigarette in his hand????

his mom says she doesnt know...