I grew up with parents who told me I could do anything I put my mind to. It's common for parents to tell their kids this, but mine really meant it. They gave me endless opportunities to pursue whatever I may have been interested in at any point in time. It didn't matter to them whether they thought it was a great choice for me, they would let me try, and told me I could do it. They were often wrong, liars, basically.

Here's an example: I said I wanted to try softball. They knew my hand-eye coordination was subpar, and that's being nice. They probably should have immediately told me it was not the best sport I could chose to participate in and try; and it wasn't that I was trying this sport out when I was young- I was about to enter high school. This was prime time to be mocked and I just opened the door for everyone, including my own family. But, they told me I could do it.

My dad practiced with me, they came to every game, and they held their laughter for my pitiful display of athleticism until we were all alone. Trust me when I say that I am not exaggerating. You know in the movie "Chicken Little" where he is up to bat, and everyone immediately loses hope? Everyone starts to sigh and get really upset that the fate of their game lies in the hands of the worst hitter on the team, someone who can’t actually make contact with the ball. That was me.

The only sad part was there was no happy ending where I hit the ball and won the game. I just struck out, just about every time I was up to bat. The moral of the story is my parents were well aware the entire season that I was no good at softball, and I probably was not going to get any better. But, every game, every practice, they continued to tell me I could do it because they believed I could do anything I put my mind to, even when I didn’t think I could.

This concept is something that lights hope in children and we grow up as adults passing that hope and light on to our own kids. We tell them they can do anything and we believe in them, even when no one else does. So tell me why- why does it not work the same when a child tells a parent they can do it. Why are the parents adamant that they, in fact, cannot do whatever you are asking?

My mom has smoked cigarettes my entire life. Hell, my mom has smoked cigarettes HER entire life. I understand it was the thing to do when they were teenagers, however, our generation, as kids, has put so much emphasis on informing everyone of the dangers and risks of smoking. I know parents know them. I know you are tired of hearing how second hand smoke kills. I know you are tired of hearing how smoke smells, it rots your teeth, it causes lung cancer, and everything else anyone has ever thrown your way to try to convince you to stop. So the question still lingers- why not just stop?

“I have been doing it my whole life.”

I used to get that answer all the time from my mom but now I get a change in subject or growling look. All I ever really wanted to do was tell my mom, "you can do it, I believe in you." So on this higher platform, I am reaching out to our younger generation with loved ones who continue to bypass our pleas to quit smoking for the thousands of reasons they already know, to pass a long this message to my mom, in hopes it saves her, and the others that continue to neglect the fact that we too, believe they can do anything they put their minds to.

You can do it, and we believe in just as much as you believe in us.