Just think of all the possibilities any individual could possess inside them, waiting to come out. As children get older and turn into teenagers, parents seem to forget the simple fact that they are still children and need guidance. Parents also get older and seem to forget how they were when they were teenagers. With defiant teenagers, parents sometimes forget all the influence they possess on their budding young adults.
             The defiant teenager is the stereotypical ideal most people hold true. Certainly not all teenagers are defiant, nor are all teenagers the good kids we would like them to be. However, we must never forget that we are their parents and should try to steer them in the right direction, whether we think they are listening or not. Smoking is one of the issues every teenager is bound to run across sometime in their adolescent life.
             A new study shows that teens heed parents' advice to not smoke (1. Enquirer 5A). What's that you say? Teens actually listen to their parents? Well it seems some do and some don't. However, you should always assume that your teenager is listening to you.
             While it is true that peer pressure is the main reason why teenagers start smoking, it seems the same could be said for teenagers not smoking because of their parents constant warnings of cancer, emphysema, and early aging. The facts speak for themselves. Constant reminders of all the reasons not to smoke would have to out weight the reasons for smoking. Think about it, the only things their friends say a reason to do it would be is, "It's Cool!" It seems that smoking affects nearly every part of your body, including hair, hearing, digestive system, lungs, and teeth. Smoking weakens the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to diseases such as lupus erythematosus, which can cause hair loss, ulcerations in the mouth and rashes on the face, scalp, and hands (2. Harmful effects). Doesn't that sou...