Would you be more upset with your teenager if you caught them smoking or cheating?

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Would you be more upset with your teenager if you caught them smoking a cigarrette or cheating on a test? You must pick one of two answers. Most would say neither (so would I, I wouldn’t be happy about either option), but the point is to say which people think is the worse of two undesirable behaviors.

After you answer, you might want to read this article:
townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20030715.shtml

I agree with the author’s opinion.
 
Wow. That’s a really tough question. I chose smoking. They’re both bad, but I think that cheating is something that would be easier to stop doing. Teenagers make bad choices a lot. (I did!) And later they might be sorry for what they did and change. Smoking can be one of the most difficult things to stop doing. Many smokers started as teenagers (making a stupid choice) and never stop because it is so addictive even though they realize how stupid it is.
 
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lovelavender:
Wow. That’s a really tough question. I chose smoking. They’re both bad, but I think that cheating is something that would be easier to stop doing. Teenagers make bad choices a lot. (I did!) And later they might be sorry for what they did and change. Smoking can be one of the most difficult things to stop doing. Many smokers started as teenagers (making a stupid choice) and never stop because it is so addictive even though they realize how stupid it is.
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Yeah, it’s a very tough question. That’s why I like it. In the end, I would rather catch them smoking than cheating. As much as I would hate for my child to develop this habit, I would rather see them develop an unhealthy habit than poor character.

Blessings.
 
They’re both bad, but I think that cheating is something that would be easier to stop doing.
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Gee that’s exactly the same reason I chose “cheating”. I smoked in HS and a bit in college as did many of my friends and most did not develop any long term habit. It was a cool thing to do but had a consistent down side (it stinks, nobody wants to kiss you and in my case, made me sneeze). Cheating can be very seductive when you get away with it. It has a huge up side if it saves you time and energy, results in better grades and you don’t get caught.

I teach college and graduate school students. The amount of cheating is unbelievable. Some of the students don’t even understand that what they are doing is wrong. And others just are willing to take the risk if they believe the chances are being caught are low and it will save them some time. They have learned this over time, maybe since their teen years.
 
I chose cheating because it demonstrates a lack of moral character which would mean that I failed, as a parent, to pass on the moral teachings of the Church.

If my child was smoking, it would simply mean that she either didn’t understand why such a decision was not healthy or that she gave in to peer pressure. Her decision would be unwise and possibly made for the wrong reasons, but it wouldn’t necessarily be immoral. Cheating, however, is intrinsically immoral and represents a far greater implication on the state of her own sould and potentially her relationship to God.
 
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theMutant:
I chose cheating because it demonstrates a lack of moral character which would mean that I failed, as a parent, to pass on the moral teachings of the Church.

If my child was smoking, it would simply mean that she either didn’t understand why such a decision was not healthy or that she gave in to peer pressure. Her decision would be unwise and possibly made for the wrong reasons, but it wouldn’t necessarily be immoral. Cheating, however, is intrinsically immoral and represents a far greater implication on the state of her own sould and potentially her relationship to God.
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AMEN! An unhealthy habit is preferable to bad character!
 
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Jay74:
AMEN! An unhealthy habit is preferable to bad character!
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What I think is funny is I was thinking quite the opposite.

The health implications that are involved with smoking, one of which being addiction, is quite serious.

If my child cheats, he can be reprimanded and learn from his mistake. No real harm done to their character that can’t be fixed with love and guidance, IMO. If they smoke and put their health at risk, we are talking about what could be a life long battle with addiction and lung conditions that could potentially shorten their lives.

Cheating won’t kill you. Cigarettes can. Looking at it from this view point the choice seemed easy for me. I would be more upset if my child jeopardized his/her health.
 
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cove:
Cheating won’t kill you. Cigarettes can. Looking at it from this view point the choice seemed easy for me. I would be more upset if my child jeopardized his/her health.
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It depends. If he was not of the legal age to smoke, that would a kind of cheating anyway, but if not it’s simple–cheating is intrinsicly wrong and smoking is not (of course it can become wrong if done in excess). I would be more upset if my child jepordized his immortal soul.

Scott
 
Cigarettes can only affect the body. Cheating affects the spirit. Better to develop unheatlhy habits that shorten the life than immoral habits that jeopordizes the immortal soul.
 
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pnewton:
Cigarettes can only affect the body. Cheating affects the spirit. Better to develop unheatlhy habits that shorten the life than immoral habits that jeopordizes the immortal soul.
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Said it better than I could. :clapping:
 
An easy question for me to answer…CHEATING would be the most troublesome for me to deal with. To cheat requires a certain amount of lying. That in turn, damages the level of trust. Once trust is damaged, it could and usually does, take a long time to re-establish it.

One is dangerous and stupid (smoking), but cheating implys a weakness of character and respect for self and others.
 
First off, I want you all to know that in March of this year, I lost part of one of my lungs to lung cancer. I was a smoker for 40 years and started as a teenager and quit 12 years ago. I would hate it if one of my kids or grandchildren ever started smoking. I would be horrified!

My vote was for cheating. This is dishonesty. Both are really bad. Dishonesty is a situation that is rampant today.

Maybe it is my age. I remember when words like “honor”,
“integrity”, “morality” were what made a person who they were.

My grandfather had all these wonderful qualities but he smoked a pipe. These qualities made him the man he was and I feel sure were some of the things that helped lead him to Heaven. He was one of those folks who was good for his word. A handshake was good enough. He use to tell us kids if a man is not good for his word, he is not good for anything. That is what folks in his generation made a person. HONOR.

We have lost that. All you have to do is turn on the TV.
 
I chose smoking. I smoked and had a very hard time quitting. I quit and quit again. I have now been smoke free for two years, but it hasn’t been easy. It is very addictive and dangerous.

On the other hand, I can’t remember ever having cheated. Well, maybe once in high school Spanish on a quiz. You didn’t say my child would be a life-long cheater, embezzler, etc. I definitely think it would be easier to teach him or her that cheating is wrong. If my child were caught cheating on a test or a paper, he or she would never forget it, believe me. I also know that my husband and I model very high standards on the honesty front, but with smoking, there are highly addictive substances and also some people have more addictive personalites, oral fixations, etc.

Both are serious, but smoking is deadly.
 
smoking is a nice habit…cheating is lieing and is immoral. Cheaters go to hell. If I caught my tenager smoking, I’d ask if I could bum a light off him.

The government tells us we can hate smokers (and vote to tax them unfairly), so the little people among us who listen closly to what the government tells us always obey and hate smokers…even more than liers…wow…some people have very clean brains.
 
Scott Waddell:
It depends. If he was not of the legal age to smoke, that would a kind of cheating anyway, but if not it’s simple–cheating is intrinsicly wrong and smoking is not (of course it can become wrong if done in excess). I would be more upset if my child jepordized his immortal soul.

Scott
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You don’t think that abusing ones own body is not jepordizing ones immortal soul??? I believe to damage our bodies by falling into addictive behaviors that jepordize our lives is just as evil. Especially, if we know that they can be fatal. I believe suicide is a mortal sin. As far as I am concerned addictions like alchol/drug abuse including cigarette smoking are a slow suicide. I had a loved one who eventually died from this type of bodily abuse.

Cheating on a test only hurts the person who has cheated. When someone abuses addictive substances like nicotine they are not only hurting themselves but there loved ones who have to deal with the damaging effects that their loved one is suffering. Smoking cigarettes also puts other peoples health at risk.

If we are going to call one of these (cheating, smoking) evil I would have to say smoking. Smoking can lead to other behaviors that damage our bodies and yes seperate us from God.

From the moment my babies were born their health has been my utmost concern. All other aspects of their growing and learning and character developing depends on a healthy mind and body. I can fix most anything concerning their development. But, for them to act in a way that hurts them physically. That to me is much more worrisome as a parent. If they die from abusing their bodies then all that I have done for them is in vain.

As I said before, Cheating won’t kill you. Smoking can kill you or greatly reduce your quality of life.
 
Tom of Assisi:
smoking is a nice habit…cheating is lieing and is immoral. Cheaters go to hell. If I caught my tenager smoking, I’d ask if I could bum a light off him.

The government tells us we can hate smokers (and vote to tax them unfairly), so the little people among us who listen closly to what the government tells us always obey and hate smokers…even more than liers…wow…some people have very clean brains.
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I have a very clear brain now that my space is not invaded by the selfish smoker who is sharing their very much not welcome disgusting second hand smoke with me. Also, my husband and son are both asthmatics. Second hand smoke is very threatening to them. I am so happy that I can sit in a restaurant now and enjoy a meal without having to have my appetite lost because of the smoke that a cigarette smoker just could not wait to inhale.

Give me a break. The government is being unfair to cigarette smokers? Think of how unfair and selfish smokers have been toward non-smokers for so many years.

I am guessing you are a smoker. Shame on you for saying you would share a smoke with your child. Now, that is a sin.
 
The question this thread posts is amazing…(let’s pretend for a second that smpoking is unhealthy (in the long term) for the person smoking)…assuming that the question of this thread is basically:

Would you be upset if your child were engaging in very immoral behavior (cheating) or in behavior that might hurt his/her body a few decades from now if they do it frequently from now till then (smoking)?

morality vs. physical health…and some liberals are choosing health over morality…the physical over the spiritual if you will…very telling on the character of the modern liberal.
 
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cove:
I have a very clear brain now that my space is not invaded by the selfish smoker who is sharing their very much not welcome disgusting second hand smoke with me. Also, my husband and son are both asthmatics. Second hand smoke is very threatening to them. I am so happy that I can sit in a restaurant now and enjoy a meal without having to have my appetite lost because of the smoke that a cigarette smoker just could not wait to inhale.

Give me a break. The government is being unfair to cigarette smokers? Think of how unfair and selfish smokers have been toward non-smokers for so many years.

I am guessing you are a smoker. Shame on you for saying you would share a smoke with your child. Now, that is a sin.
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There is NO scientific evidence that second hand smoke is harmful. Annoying perhaps, but it is not harmful. The government says smokers are bad…and then we vote to tax them severely…the money the government gets from this funds all kinds of programs across the liberal spectrum of government entitlements. If everyone quit smoking, the government bankrolls would be hurting. What a nice racket the government is running…of course acording to you…they are profitting from the unhealth of people…wow that makes them even worse than I thought

BTW… it is not a sin to smoke…
 
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