Schoolboy with '10-a-day habit' has e-cigarette confiscated by teachers

One eyed Jack · 25-09-2015 12:49PM #1

There aren't too many stories stop me in my tracks and make me think "WTF is this shyte?", and there are even less I feel worth sharing, but this one genuinely has me stumped, on so many levels!

What sort of an idiot buys their child an ecigarette in the first place, and then said idiot complains that the school has a policy that prohibits smoking and 'intervened without her consent'... :pac:

According to reports, Mason Dunne's mother bought him the e-cigarette.

She said hopes that her son will kick the smoking habit soon but is angry that teachers intervened without her consent. "We have tried patches and have been to the doctor, but nothing worked, so my eldest son bought him an e-cigarette and it has helped him stop smoking cigarettes," she told Metro.co.uk.

"He has really made an effort. "I went into school and explained the situation but was told it is against the school policy. He came home from school in a terrible state because he needed nicotine. "I am not happy about the fact he smokes in the first place, but we have tried everything to help him stop. ‘"If it helps to prevent people from developing cancer at a later stage, I think it should be allowed," she added. Mason is believed to have taken up smoking, without her realising, when his father died.

Suzanne Pountain, the Greater Manchester school’s headmistress, said: ‘Kearsley Academy is a no-smoking site. We have a duty of care to our students to reinforce this and discourage them from doing so. ‘We offer students access to the school nurse and if necessary pathways such as the smoke cessation programme, if this is needed. ‘We will continue to work with and support Mason within the guidelines of our policy. ‘For the safeguarding of all our students, smoking, including the use of any nicotine inhalation devices are not allowed.’

Source: Independent.ie

I'm surprised there's even such a thing as a 'smoking cessation programme' in the school, and there's no way this child should be accomodated because he wants to smoke his ecigarette, much worse that his mother bought it for him in the first place!

ElChe32 · 25-09-2015 12:51PM

The mother needs a kick in the gowl for naming her kid Mason.

kneemos · 25-09-2015 12:52PM

The mother didn't buy it and is obviously trying to help her son.

Trond · 25-09-2015 12:53PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

There aren't too many stories stop me in my tracks and make me think "WTF is this shyte?", and there are even less I feel worth sharing, but this one genuinely has me stumped, on so many levels!

What sort of an idiot buys their child an ecigarette in the first place, and then said idiot complains that the school has a policy that prohibits smoking and 'intervened without her consent'... :pac:

Source: Independent.ie

I'm surprised there's even such a thing as a 'smoking cessation programme' in the school, and there's no way this child should be accomodated because he wants to smoke his ecigarette, much worse that his mother bought it for him in the first place!

I don't think she's an idiot for buying him an e cig. If it does stop the kid from smoking actual cigarettes its obviously a positive thing.

SEPT 23 1989 · 25-09-2015 12:54PM

whats the problem here exactly?

fergiesfolly · 25-09-2015 12:55PM

Saw that story on the web yesterday.
Mother and son were two of the most god -awful ugly yokes I've ever seen.
Let him smoke.
If nothin else, the smoke from the fags will help hide his mug.

kneemos · 25-09-2015 12:57PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

whats the problem here exactly?

Not sure.Sounds like there must be something.

MrStuffins · 25-09-2015 12:58PM

ElChe32 wrote: »

The mother needs a kick in the gowl for naming her kid Mason.

With a name like that he's bound to get stoned now and again.

Birneybau · 25-09-2015 12:58PM

The brother bought the e-cig for him, it says it right there in the article.

The Backwards Man · 25-09-2015 01:00PM

Meh, he's 14.

In my day we'd have tried lent three times and swore to give them up after the budget at least once by the time we were that age.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy · 25-09-2015 01:01PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

What sort of an idiot...

Hang on a minute. When asked what clues make you think that somebody is as sharp as a marble, didn't you say:

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Someone who sees themselves as being more intelligent, or having more common sense, than anyone else.

And anyway, I don't see anything idiotic about buying a e-cig for someone who's trying to give up smoking. There's no age restrictions on them yet afaik.

Medusa22 · 25-09-2015 01:08PM

Edit - just re-read the OP and realised that the boy is 14 and not ten, so apologies.

One eyed Jack · 25-09-2015 01:11PM

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote: »

Hang on a minute. When asked what clues make you think that somebody is as sharp as a marble, didn't you say:

I never claimed I wasn't an idiot though, but even then I wouldn't be the idiot that allows my child to smoke in the first place.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote: »

And anyway, I don't see anything idiotic about buying a e-cig for someone who's trying to give up smoking. There's no age restrictions on them yet afaik.

You missed the point of the article then. The child wants to smoke the ecigarette in school, which goes against school policy, and the mother is complaining because -

One eyed Jack wrote: »

the school has a policy that prohibits smoking and 'intervened without her consent'... :pac:

jamesbere · 25-09-2015 01:21PM

If I was caught smoking at that age I would of got some clatter across the head from my parents.

RedemptionZ · 25-09-2015 01:30PM

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Saw that story on the web yesterday.
Mother and son were two of the most god -awful ugly yokes I've ever seen.
Let him smoke.
If nothin else, the smoke from the fags will help hide his mug.

Lovely.

I think he should be allowed smoke the e-cig outdoors during school breaks. As far as I know it doesn't do any harm to people around you does it?

Nodin · 25-09-2015 01:55PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Meh, he's 14.

In my day we'd have tried lent three times and swore to give them up after the budget at least once by the time we were that age.

Twas the way of it. The nicotine stain was a dead giveaway so denial became impossible after a while.

asherbassad · 25-09-2015 01:58PM

Medusa22 wrote: »

Well, I can't believe he started smoking at the age of ten and I'd certainly be questioning the mother's parenting skills. However, to be fair to her she didn't buy the e-cigarette herself and she does seem to be trying to help him quit smoking. That being said though, I'm also surprised that there is a smoking cessation programme in the school, surely he is still in primary school, no? How many primary school children need assistance with giving up smoking? I suppose it is a good thing all the same, and there must be some demand for it if it is in place.

The mother really has no right to be livid because the school has a policy of not allowing children to use any kind of inhaled smoking device, fecksake :pac:

He'll just have to go cold turkey or maybe they should try the patches again :P

A parent can only do so much and certainly can't be blamed for every little transgression of which a child is guilty. You can be the best parent in the world offering advice, love, encouragement, boundaries, etc. but if the child runs with a bad crowd who have a negative influence, engage in petty crime, vandalism, smoking, drinking, stupid dares to impress the girls of the group and so on then there's going to be problems.
On the flip-side, you can be a crappy parent, somewhat negligent, lazy, quick to temper, but if the kid has a good gang of mates who are respectful, mannerly, play sports together, share hobbies, look out for one another and their younger siblings then he'll be just fine.

I've witnessed the outcomes of both scenaria.

SEPT 23 1989 · 25-09-2015 02:28PM

I would say The Backwards Man smoked Major

starling · 25-09-2015 02:30PM

Medusa22 wrote: »

Well, I can't believe he started smoking at the age of ten and I'd certainly be questioning the mother's parenting skills. However, to be fair to her she didn't buy the e-cigarette herself and she does seem to be trying to help him quit smoking.

Wait, where did you get that from, it doesn't say in the article what age he was when he started smoking

Medusa22 wrote: »

That being said though, I'm also surprised that there is a smoking cessation programme in the school, surely he is still in primary school, no? How many primary school children need assistance with giving up smoking? I suppose it is a good thing all the same, and there must be some demand for it if it is in place.

The mother really has no right to be livid because the school has a policy of not allowing children to use any kind of inhaled smoking device, fecksake :pac:

He'll just have to go cold turkey or maybe they should try the patches again :P

Primary school? He's 14. I hear terrible things about the UK education standards but I'm pretty sure it's not THAT bad.

starling · 25-09-2015 02:37PM

asherbassad wrote: »

A parent can only do so much and certainly can't be blamed for every little transgression of which a child is guilty. You can be the best parent in the world offering advice, love, encouragement, boundaries, etc. but if the child runs with a bad crowd who have a negative influence, engage in petty crime, vandalism, smoking, drinking, stupid dares to impress the girls of the group and so on then there's going to be problems.
On the flip-side, you can be a crappy parent, somewhat negligent, lazy, quick to temper, but if the kid has a good gang of mates who are respectful, mannerly, play sports together, share hobbies, look out for one another and their younger siblings then he'll be just fine.

I've witnessed the outcomes of both scenaria.

Yeah, some kids are just going to try smoking, it's not really fair to decide they must have sh1tty parents. Especially when one parent dies while the kids are still so young.

Although as far as the actual e-cig issue, I think she's wrong to be complaining about the school. For his own sake, this kid should be using an ecig because it's better than him smoking fags, but that doesn't mean the school should be condoning it. If he managed to hide the real fags from his ma surely he can hide an ecig from his teachers. It's not like he has to worry about the smell and smoke.

Samaris · 25-09-2015 02:38PM

TL:DR of the very short article, on the points that people are already getting wrong for the sake of the story.

FIrstly, it contradicts itself, the first line is that the mother is believed to have gotten it for him, her own statement is that the lad's elder brother got it for him.

And secondly, while there's slating of their parenting and the rest of it - the kid seems to have taken up smoking secretly after his father died. A period where most families would be in a bit of turmoil, including the wife that's been gleefully bludgeoned.

I absolutely don't agree that ecigs should be condoned in schools. Kids will smoke. Kids will get caught smoking. Kids will get it in the neck from all concerned and this is the natural way of things! It shouldn't be accepted, it shouldn't have allowances made for it. Ecigs may not be illegal, but they are inappropriate for a 14yr old to have in school

But, I see the mother as worried and upset and trying to do her best, even if she shouldn't have raised a fuss over this.

Also, her looks or he looks of the son have absolutely nothing to do with anything, and it's a remarkably ignorant comment to make.

starling · 25-09-2015 02:41PM

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Lovely.

I think he should be allowed smoke the e-cig outdoors during school breaks. As far as I know it doesn't do any harm to people around you does it?

It doesn't, but some people worry that using ecigs might encourage non-smoking children to try them. A big part of that IMHO is bullsh1t media scare stories, but children are idiots in fairness.

PARlance · 25-09-2015 03:01PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I would say The Backwards Man smoked Major

Not sure he would be a filter man myself.
I have him down for Sweet Afton

Brian from Bray · 25-09-2015 03:05PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I would say The Backwards Man smoked Major

PARlance wrote: »

Not sure he would be a filter man myself.
I have him down for Sweet Afton

I reckon Backwards man smokes turf.

Sam Kade · 25-09-2015 03:55PM

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Lovely.

I think he should be allowed smoke the e-cig outdoors during school breaks. As far as I know it doesn't do any harm to people around you does it?

Did you hear about the man in the U.S. Last week, he got his face destroyed from an exploding e cig it blew a hole in the roof of his mouth. As for letting him smoke it on the playground, what will they want to be left do then? You have to draw the line somewhere;)

starling · 25-09-2015 04:05PM

Sam Kade wrote: »

Did you hear about the man in the U.S. Last week, he got his face destroyed from an exploding e cig it blew a hole in the roof of his mouth.

No. Got a link or something?

The_Valeyard · 25-09-2015 04:17PM

Do many teens still actually smoke though? As a matter of interest?

asherbassad · 25-09-2015 04:17PM

starling wrote: »

Yeah, some kids are just going to try smoking, it's not really fair to decide they must have sh1tty parents. Especially when one parent dies while the kids are still so young.

Although as far as the actual e-cig issue, I think she's wrong to be complaining about the school. For his own sake, this kid should be using an ecig because it's better than him smoking fags, but that doesn't mean the school should be condoning it. If he managed to hide the real fags from his ma surely he can hide an ecig from his teachers. It's not like he has to worry about the smell and smoke.

Oh, I'm in total agreement with you. Allowing a kid to have an ecig in school is a travesty. The mother is rightfully upset that her kid got hooked on nicotine so easily but he's still growing. His body should be able to shake off the cravings easier than an adult. As a smoker I know how difficult it is to quit but I never had a problem stopping when I was younger. The ecig, while better than ingesting tar is still a band-aid on a bullet wound. I have no advice for those wishing to quit smoking any more than I have advice for anyone attempting to change any vagary in their life.

But then again....if he met a nice, healthy, sexy girl who told him "lose that habit or I'm outta here", he'd quit the smokes pretty quick. :pac:

25-09-2015 04:18PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

I never claimed I wasn't an idiot though, but even then I wouldn't be the idiot that allows my child to smoke in the first place.

Ah yes there was an article on something like somewhere recently I am sure

Actually quite a few parents do not even know when their children have picked up habits of this sort. Even at the best of times - let alone at times when - as the article states - they are in a period of life up-heaving grief such as losing the father/husband to death.

jamesbere wrote: »

If I was caught smoking at that age I would of got some clatter across the head from my parents.

Would it have helped?

Aside from her ridiculous expectation to have the school change its smoking policy for one child - it appears from what little has been written in the thread so far that she has been quite supportive in guiding him through methods of breaking an addiction.

Trond · 25-09-2015 04:19PM

starling wrote: »

No. Got a link or something?

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/86104/20150919/man-seriously-injured-after-e-cigarette-explodes-in-his-face.htm

Sounds horrific tbf. Faulty batteries are probably the cause. Pity it doesn't mention what type it was or a brand name.

It can happen with any battery powered device really.

FionnK86 · 25-09-2015 04:20PM

Give poor Mason a break, he's only just made it out of Vorkuta.

Schoolboy with '10-a-day habit' has e-cigarette confiscated by teachers

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