Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Parenting Expert Holly Jean Brooker on How to Stop Kids Vaping

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

We chat to Holly Brooker from the parenting place to get the low down on how to help stop kids from vaping!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great stuff on vaping at the moment and how to stop your kids from getting into vaping. Joining us to tell us more is Holly Jean Booker from The Parenting Place. Good morning. Morning. How are you guys? We're doing all right. You're saying you're actually studying as well. I am.

I am. It's a bit of a stretch. It's very hard, but I'm doing all right. I'm surviving. Oh, good on you. Late nights this week. I've done some late night cramming sessions, like the good old days, and it really affects me now.

I just want to be in bed with my cup of tea, not studying. It feels harder. So good on you. Like, I did a little course a couple of years ago, and it did feel like it was harder as an adult, because you're kind of out of practice. So good on you for doing it. Oh, thank you. Yeah.

Ben's also doing some study at the School of Hard Knocks, aren't you, Betty Boy? Yeah, that's right. You're learning some valuable life lessons there. Vaping. Big topic of conversation. Ben was in Australia recently. He's basically next to no vaping. Well, not as much because you have to have a prescription over there,

I think, to get it. There's not vape stores and stuff. You've got to buy it through a pharmacy or things like that. It seems like there was a few people vaping, but it definitely didn't seem like it was prevalent like it is in New Zealand at the moment. Yeah, it's definitely a huge phenomenon in New Zealand, isn't it? I think that it's really important that we do talk about this with our kids.

And it's a tricky topic because it can be quite triggering for parents because most of us don't want our kids to vape. And unfortunately, there's a lot of it going around. I read a report, 20% of high school kids are vaping. I mean, I feel like that number seems quite low, but the NIB State of the Nation Parenting Survey came out this month, said that only 8% of parents know for sure that their kids are vaping, and 70% of them are adamant that their kids aren't vaping,

are high school kids and have never vaped. So I think given this insight, I think it is something that we do need to talk about with our kids. We want our kids to be critical thinkers. We want our kids, you know, as they come into their teen years, they're kind of becoming less dependent on us and more independent. And we have less control over their decision making. So we really want to have conversations early so that they can make sensible choices when

they are away from us. I feel like that survey, like, that's all down to the honesty of the kid. Are you making it or not? I get why those numbers are probably lower than we all think. If someone phoned me up and said, we're doing a survey on how many times a week you go to a fast

food place, I'm like, mate, I'm not It's like when your doctor says, how many beers are you drinking a week? I feel like it's one of those. But it is a serious topic. And the heartbreaking thing is it feels like it's kids younger and younger these days. You think it's going to high school, and then you may, oh, maybe the odd intermediate kid. But now it's even primary school, which is a really scary thing.

Well, it is scary. And I think vaping, there's a misconception that it's safe and it's fun. And I think it's like there's fruity flavors, and it's safe and it's fun. And, you know, I think it's like there's fruity flavors and it's almost like it's marketing young people. I had a chat with a child and family psychologist at Parenting Place to ask her about this. And she really encouraged that, you know, that critical thinking, those conversations that we can have with our kids on car trips or whatever,

to just get them thinking that, you know, when they're like nine, ten, you can start that young. Like, what is vaping? Why do you think people vape what do you know about vaping do you think that it's safe you know what is it that might encourage a kid to start to start vaping get them to kind of think about these questions now so that they're they're not just kind of like thrown in the moment where the kid the mate at school pulls out a vape and they're not sure what to do yes that is a really good thing because it's a whole, it's

one thing to go, hey, don't do it, don't do it, it's bad for you, righty, right. It's a whole different thing to be that kid in that situation with three or four other kids who are doing that thing. So to have a response to that is really clever. What do you think on that note about putting security cameras in the toilets at schools, Holly? I saw that yesterday.

I think that's a really interesting idea. I don't think that's a really interesting idea. I don't think it's a great idea personally. I mean, I can understand the concern for it. I was a high school teacher and I remember, yeah, there was a big issue with kids smoking and smoking not just cigarettes. So, yeah, just not sure about the cameras in the bathroom though. There does also have to be, kids have to know that,

or teenagers have to know that There is also a level of trust too You have responsibility You can just go to the toilets And we won't be spying on you Yeah I mean I think that's a very unusual idea I mean

Yeah Yeah I think there's a lot of There's a lot of potential problems With that one I said the same thing Ben was like We need cameras in the toilets Here at work

And we were all like That's an unusual idea Ben No I didn't I didn't I love how he has to come on And say no I didn't