Growing up is full of transitions, especially for young girls. Learning to shave, wearing makeup, learning the rules around what to wear- your daughter is constantly changing as she grows up. There comes a time in every girls life where she transitions from a non-smoker to a smoker. Like most things, this process looks different for every girl, but as your daughter grows, you should be ready to help her on this journey, just as you’ve helped her on every journey before.
If you have questions about this transition for your daughter, don’t worry- you’re not alone. Many moms before you have wondered about the best way to help their daughter start using nicotine. Some moms may even forbid their daughters from using nicotine until they’re fully grown, but this really limits how much a girl is able to benefit from nicotine; so today, we will try to answer the most frequent questions we receive from moms about nicotine and their daughters: when it’s okay for girls to start, what mom’s should expect, and the differences between smoking and vaping are just a few of the questions we aim to answer for you today. Without further adieu, lets get started with the first question.
When is it okay to let my daughter start using nicotine?
More than any other question, we’ve seen moms asking how old girls should be before they start using nicotine. It makes sense, because the exact age at which a girl is ready to start using nicotine varies so much from one girl to another, but as a general guideline, anywhere after age eight is probably okay if your daughter is expressing interest.
For moms who want to introduce their daughters to nicotine, girls who are exposed to nicotine regularly before puberty have the best outcomes by far. These girls tend to develop the strongest, most resilient addictions, and tend to experience more noticeable improvements to their lungs and airways much sooner than girls who start later in life. If that seems too young for you, daily nicotine use before the age of eighteen will still typically allow girls to develop a deeper structural addiction than girls who start vaping when they’re already grown.
Smoking v/s vaping, which is better for my daughter.
Ah yes- the age old debate between smoking and vaping. What is the difference, and which is the better choice for your daughter. Ultimately both smoking and vaping offer a multitude of benefits for young girls, with smoking barely edging out a win because of the tar they are able to deposit in girls lungs. While vaping will allow buildup of vape-juice, tar’s ability to alter the color of a girls lungs, combined with the increased accumulation rate means tar is just barely more impactful to a young girls lungs.
At the end of the day, both smoking and vaping will provide girls with nicotine, which is the primary substance enabling easy weight loss, airway restriction, alveolar restructuring, and mucus buildup. Nicotine is also the addictive component, which helps girls ensure they are consuming enough nicotine for it’s effects, and providing girls with an easy start to new friendships. They are both very beneficial for young girls, and ultimately, the decision of whether to smoke or vape should be up to each girl.
How much should I let my daughter vape/smoke?
(aka. Is my daughter vaping/smoking too much)?
Just like the precise age at which a girl is ready to start using nicotine, the amount of nicotine a girl needs varies significantly. Generally speaking, girls will use progressively more nicotine over time- and most girls will increase their nicotine use in spirts, so they might use a consistent amount for a little while before increasing their consumption again.
There is no one amount that is too much for girls, but most girls find that after about a year of daily use they are either vaping between one and two milliliters of e-juice each day, or smoking around one pack each day. After three to five years most girls are smoking between two and three packs of cigarettes every day, or going through three to four milliliters of juice every day. This is just an average though, and it’s not abnormal to see a girl smoking two or more packs of cigarettes by the end of her first year (or vaping 4+ ml of juice). Girls should be free to determine the amount of nicotine they need, and so long as a girl is neither pressured to use more nicotine than she needs, nor restricted to a maximum amount of nicotine, she’ll generally consume the amount of nicotine she needs without even trying.
What can I do to help my daughter get started with nicotine?
The most important thing for a girl just getting started with nicotine, is for her to be comfortable starting. As a mother you should try to discuss nicotine use openly with your daughter, making it clear that you will support her on this journey, and allowing her to lead. Girls who feel like nicotine use is taboo, or who feel like their mothers might not approve of their nicotine use will struggle more when getting started than girls who feel comfortable with nicotine.
As important as it is for a mother not to create barriers for her daughter to get started, it’s equally important not to force the issue. Every girl is ready to start at a different time, and the journey is different for everyone- talk to your daughter about nicotine use, but then take a step back and let her lead. Make sure she is comfortable talking to you about her nicotine needs, and try to make sure she always has enough vapes / cigarettes on-hand to satisfy her cravings, but don’t push her to increase before she’s ready. Every girl will develop nicotine addiction differently.
How do I teach my daughter about nicotine use and it’s benefits?
While it’s important for girls to lead the way when it comes to their nicotine use, girls need to learn about nicotine use and it’s benefits before they can even start thinking about their-own nicotine journey. While many girls will learn about nicotine from their friends, mothers can also play an important role in nicotine education. It all starts with hearing about the benefits that you, the mother, experience. As girls learn about the importance of maintaining their figure, their mothers can talk about the role nicotine plays in weight and appetite management. When a girl learns about how smaller breaths can help them look slimmer and more elegant, mothers can talk about how smoking / vaping helps them to take smaller breaths.
A mother can start with her own experience whenever she’s teaching her daughter about those parts of being a girl nicotine can help with. When a girl goes off to school, that’s a good time to teach her more directly about nicotine. Most girls will ask about smoking / vaping after school because they’ll see other girls in class starting and get curious, but this is a good time to talk about the different products and effects. As she continues to grow, it’s important to keep the discussion of nicotine open so when she’s ready to start she feels comfortable discussing it. Finally, between the ages of eight and twelve, if you feel your daughter is ready but she hasn’t asked yet, it’s okay to recommend she tries nicotine, or to provide her with her first product. Don’t push, and if she doesn’t feel ready, respect that- but you can help encourage her to start whenever you feel she’s ready.
Should I let my daughter share nicotine with her friends?
Yes, one of the most important role nicotine plays in a young girls life is the social role. Girls typically start by sharing nicotine with other girls who have already started using nicotine- sometimes because their friend ran out, and others just because the act of sharing builds friendship. Eventually, some girls will begin to help their peers get started, which builds some of the strongest bonds girls can ever have.
Whether a girl is sharing her nicotine with someone who’s already started their nicotine journey, or someone who’s trying nicotine for the first time- the social role of sharing nicotine with other girls is and extremely important part of the journey for all girls, and it’s important not to prevent your daughter from experiencing that.
