(If this does not scare the F out of you to stop smoking then you are a brave soul!)I personally don't care if people smoke. Belgium is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Since everyone presumably pays exorbitant taxes, you get pretty decent health care. And since this is Europe, everyone seems to smoke. High school students smoke with their teachers and coworkers enjoy smoke breaks in rain. What is disturbing is that I see mums pushing their kids in their prams puffing away. An even more bizarre scene is watching two generations of women smoking as the little tyke just sits and inhales the second hand smoke. Once I saw a mother and daughter light up together as the kid was forced to inhale the fumes. There is somemething wrong with that!
In the States people would just stare at the smokers and give them a look that says, "how dare you subject this innocent child to this toxic smoke!" Here in Belgium, people don't think twice. I feel bad for these little kids that are being subjected these fumes. Second hand smoke is harmful and even though Belgium has socialized health care do you want to use the system to treat your child's asthma? What is interesting is that I have never seen someone drink a can of beer and push their child. Is drinking beer and pushing a buggy socially unacceptable? Would a stranger worry more if they saw a mum pushing their baby while chugging a can of Maes? Probably, because they may crash the carriage.
My wish is that parents would exercise restraint around their children and not smoke in front of them. Don't the little babies deserve a smoke free environment?
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