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At my wits end with oldest ds

9K views 142 replies 74 participants last post by  EFmom 
#1 ·
He's 20 and will NOT quit smoking in the house and it it making me want to really really smack him.

I wake up in the middle of the night because I can smell it - he's downstairs smoking. He smokes while I'm at work. I tell him not to and he says OK and then just keeps doing it. I've reasoned with him, gotten mad at him, thrown out his smokes, his lighter, not spoken to him for days, nothing works. He spends a few days smoking in the garage and next thing I know he's back in the house. How do I punish an adult who simply ignores the rules like that??? He works 35 or so hours a week and other than that he's home almost all the time, in the basement, playing WoW. And smoking. My house smells disgusting and I am SICK of it. Right now I just want to puke the smell is so gross.

I can't make him do anything - that simply doesn't work. Hasn't for a few years now. I need to come up with a way to make him want to do it, or for it to be more uncomfortable for him to do not it than do it, if I want him to do anything.
 
#102 ·
This isn't about smoking, you can't make him quit if he doesn't want to. Throwing out a 20yo's smokes/lighter/not talking to him because of it is rather quite childish.

The problem is he's disrespecting you & the rules of your house. You mentioned you don't want him walking all over you but you need to face the reality that he already is. You are passively allowing him to do this even though you hate it.

Ignore the smoking part of it. What would you(the op) do if it was a different rule of the house that he was constantly breaking?

Quote:
How do I punish an adult who simply ignores the rules like that???
He stays & smokes outside or he moves out. Even though this isn't what you want to hear it is as simple as that. Sitting him down & discussing this as his 2 options should be enough for him to start following the rule.

He does all these other adult things(having a job, cooking for himself, his own laundry, etc) why can't he follow this other very simple rule??? I'd guess he isn't allowed to smoke in the building where he works but does he disrespect his bosses by smoking in it anyhow?

If he spends all his free time playing WOW, that could be a big factor(and a completely seperate issue). Buying him a laptop(as suggested) so he can take the game with him isn't solving anything.

As another seperate issue as a pp mentioned I WOULD increase his rent because he smokes in the house. You don't have the spend that $, put it in a savings account or something but allowing him to continue doing this in the house is going to cost you down the road.
 
#103 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kathymuggle View Post
.

Edited to add: I am outta here - unless I think of something that might help the OP in which case I will post. I do think posters are being quite hard-a$$ (to quote the OP) and a bit holier than thou. "People who cannot abide by my rules should leave, I would never marry a smoker, would divorce a smoker, smokers should never be SAHM (although I guess they can smoke when they get home? right? cuz smoke in the evening does not count?)." Geesh. I think a certain amount of tolerance and compassion of human foilbles is totally missing from this thread, as is any discussion or even tolerance of discussion of a middle zone. The only conclusion I can come to is : smoking and boundaries are polarising topics, and b) long threads get messy and polarising.
I don't have a lot of tolerance and compassion when I'm in the ER for respiratory distress which is what smoking does to me. I'm not a hardass. I'm just trying to breathe over here and I would like to avoid lung cancer.

OP--Of course I would try to work with my partner, but I need to be able to breathe too and there is little room in my life for people who don't respect me or care about my health. How fortunate you are not to have respiratory problems.

My thought for you is to examine why it is the possibility of DS leaving is such an extreme issue for you. You said you don't want to do to your DS what was done to you. That's fine. I get it. But sometimes we are parenting ourselves instead of the children actually in front of us and I would encourage you to spend some time thinking and talking to your DS about what his perceptions/wants/needs are--they may be quite different than the internal dialogue you have for this situation.

A healthy adult should be able to accept that a roommate situation isn't working out.

A healthy adult should come up with solutions that work and adhere to them consistently.

This is not happening for you or your DS. I think there is a lot more going on here than just smoking.

V
 
#104 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Violet2 View Post

My thought for you is to examine why it is the possibility of DS leaving is such an extreme issue for you.

I am not the Op, but here is my take:

A child flying the nest because they are ready to is very different than being pushed out. I fully expect and want my children to move out as adults when they are ready - but I would be really sad if I had to push them out - particularly if I had not tried everything in my power to change the circumstances which necessitated their leaving.


A healthy adult should be able to accept that a roommate situation isn't working out.

He is not her roomate. He is her son. This is a long term, loving relationship a deserves more care than one would show a roomate.


V
Kathy
 
#105 ·
I've been thinking about this more... I think when I first replied, I was really hung up because it's *smoking*, which is a dealbreaker for me because I have moderate asthma and hate the smell of cigarettes and hate having my clothes and walls all discolored by smoke. OTOH, that's me, and clearly for other people smoking is not that big of a deal - more on the level of minor annoyance than dealbreaker.

So, I was thinking, what if the issue was something like "He leaves his shoes all over the living room floor all the time and I hate tripping over them" rather than smoking? To me, that's a minor annoyance, and I would be much more willing to try to search for solutions and just put up with it sometimes, especially since her son is generally helpful and polite.

That doesn't address the entire issue, because I can see someone forgetting and accidentally leaving shoes in the living room but I have a harder time imagining someone forgetting that he'd said he wouldn't light up and accidentally doing it... but perhaps if the OP has created a power struggle around this issue with him in the past then he's being sort of being passive-aggressive and trying to regain some power in this situation.

I guess it all comes down to how big a deal smoking really is for you... for me, it's about on par with my kid deciding to crap in the middle of the floor... in other words, a Very Big Deal.
 
#106 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kathymuggle
He is not her roomate. He is her son. This is a long term, loving relationship a deserves more care than one would show a roomate.
She is not his roommate. She is his mother. This is a long term, loving relationship and deserves more care than one would show a roommate.

Relationships are two-way streets.
 
#107 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by rachelsmama View Post
So, BedHead, how do your other two children feel about living in a house that smells like smoke?
Excellent question that deserves to be repeated!
 
#108 ·
Re: the suggestions, as a former smoker who grew up w/ 2 chain smokers I can attest that no filter, ash tray or air purifier will take the stink out of your clothes, furniture, or carpets. My father's ceilings are permanently discolored, as are his walls. And for me it was a tactile and oral experience, "chaw" (blechhhhh!), fake cigarettes or a nicotine patch wouldn't have been an option. I smoked disgusting stinky cigs b/c I wanted to do it.

Have to agree w/ those who say this is a respect issue. Your son's respect for you and your respect for yourself. I say the latter because why are you willing to put yourself in an unhealthy situation, one that clearly bothers you? Why are you letting someone lie to you and do whatever they want to your family's home and health?

I'm a former heavy smoker and there were plenty of places I didn't smoke, even though I wanted to because it would have been more convenient to me. Sorry, but it isn't that hard. Quitting, yes (!!!) that's hard, choosing where you smoke, no.
 
#109 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by pauletoy View Post
Excellent question that deserves to be repeated!


I think it's so unfair to the other children in the house. My mom smoked in the house(still does) throughout my entire childhood. It was gross and I hated having to breathe that. She doesn't smoke in her own house now when we're there out of respect for her grandchildren. Your son should be able to do the same. Period.
 
#110 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dar View Post
I guess it all comes down to how big a deal smoking really is for you... for me, it's about on par with my kid deciding to crap in the middle of the floor... in other words, a Very Big Deal.
lol, yes, that is an apt comparison, imo


Definitely a dealbreaker for me. Messiness, loud music, pets, etc I would happily negotiate with a grown child. But smoking in the house is non-negotiable--esp when there are younger kids in the home who can't move out.
 
#111 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by BedHead View Post
But most people haven't answered my question


Quote:

Originally Posted by BedHead View Post
He's 20 and will NOT quit smoking in the house and it it making me want to really really smack him.
<snip>
How do I punish an adult who simply ignores the rules like that???

I think everyone has answered your question and you haven't liked the answer. You CAN'T punish a 20 year old child. If he's reached that age, it should be a relationship of mutual respect... and one where he would be just as protective and loving of YOU as you would be for HIM. The answer is that there is no mutual respect if at 20 years old, your child is not doing as you ask for the overall health of, not just you, but his siblings as well. He is your child, but he is also an adult.

In your OP you said that you feel like smacking him. Obviously, if it has come to this, you feel strongly about this. Wanting to smack a child is *not* a normal Gentle Discipline response. Yet, you don't want people to tell you that if he can't respect your REASONABLE rules, and that you should gently and gradually help him move to his own place. However, that *is* a normal Gentle Discipline response. You see it as "my way or the highway" ultimatum, but the truth is, he's walking all over you and you're letting him do that if you don't put your foot down more harshly.

Do you really think that if you say, "You have to pay me $200 extra/ month" for smoking in the house that he is actually going to pay? He won't because if he can't respect the first rule, he's not going to respect a new rule that takes more from his cigarette money. Besides, ultimately, what is happening is that you and your son are both disrespecting your younger children because there is nobody protecting their health. Don't they deserve clean air?

My mother smoked my entire life until she moved in with me to take care of her 4 years ago. She finally quit after 50 years. I now have several allergy and lung issues due to second-hand smoke. I feel so sorry for your other children.
 
#113 ·
Goodness, this is a silly discussion.

If the man is capable of refraining from smoking in other places where it is prohibited (work, stores, movie theaters) he is certainly capable of obeying the prohibition in your home.

If he deliberately flaunts the rules in other places, he will be asked to leave, and he knows it. Thus, he obeys the rules.

OF COURSE he should be asked to leave should he continue to flaunt the rules in your home. That's how rules WORK.

I think you are being a doormat here. Buying him a special ashtray is going to do nothing other than letting him know that it's okay to flaunt your rules. If you don't want him to smoke in the house, give him an ultimatum -- no smoking indoors, or leave. Period.
 
#114 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by velochic View Post
I think everyone has answered your question and you haven't liked the answer.


I honestly have no idea what you thought people were going to suggest to you, that you would find to be more helpful.

Did you want us to tell you to go ahead and smack him? That certainly won't work.

I did suggest family therapy to you earlier, but you don't seem to think that's worthwhile. It would take one session for the counselor to tell him in no uncertain terms, that what he is doing is completely ridiculous and then if he chose to continue regardless, you'd have your answer. Easy peasy.

If he is such a WoW addict that he can't time his cigarettes around playing, then that's his problem, not yours, nor his siblings. He's the one who should have to deal with the problem, not the rest of you.
 
#116 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by BedHead View Post
An attitude like 'My home, my rules' was the whole reason I left home at 16. I vowed I would never drive my kids out of the house as they got older.
Just wanted to gently caution and remind you (as I remind myself) that the same issues that we vow never to repeat from our childhood sometimes cause us to go overboard in the other direction to our kids detriment. Search your soul and make sure that you aren't enabling your child to disrespect you because it makes you feel like a good mother (or at least keeps you from feeling like a guilty mother). In the end, this could limit your childs potential and growth as a mature and respectful human being.
 
#118 ·
"Son, as of January 1st this is a non-smoking home. Smoking is permitted in the garage and outside but no longer inside for health reasons, just like in restaurants. You are welcome in my home because I love you, but the cigarettes stay outside. This is a non-negotiable rule for people who live and visit here."

Short, firm and caring.
 
#119 ·
I feel that anyone who is suggesting such things as special ashtrays and laptop computers and the like are ignoring the larger (and more important) issue that this son is being very disrespectful regarding this issue.

It's kinda frustrating...what is that saying..."can't see the forest for the trees"??? The one that means that you can get hung up on the details, but you need to see the bigger issue.

Anyway...the respect/passive-aggressive thing is much more important to me than the it being just a smoking issue (although as many have stated, that is a real and valid issue, too, of course).
 
#120 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by karina5 View Post
I feel that anyone who is suggesting such things as special ashtrays and laptop computers and the like are ignoring the larger (and more important) issue that this son is being very disrespectful regarding this issue.

It's kinda frustrating...what is that saying..."can't see the forest for the trees"??? The one that means that you can get hung up on the details, but you need to see the bigger issue.

Anyway...the respect/passive-aggressive thing is much more important to me than the it being just a smoking issue (although as many have stated, that is a real and valid issue, too, of course).
Disrespect can go both ways. Anyone who asks how to "punish" their 20 year old child is ignoring the fact their kid is no longer a kid. Unless he is going to college, paying rent, or has some kind of disability, it really is time for him to find his own home-if not for the sake of his relationship with his parents then for the sake of his own independence. Even then, you can always work on ways together on how he can get out on his own.

I've known few adult children who grow up to be happy and well adjusted. The ones I've met who continuously live completely rent-free without consequence or contribution in their parents' homes usually end up to be very miserable later in life. We're talking about 30 and 40 year olds who have never had adult relationships with other people. 30 and 40 year olds who finally move out on their own-only to move into poverty-despite receiving good educations (and the student loans that go with them), because they've never been motivated (or had the self esteem) to have good careers. It's not just the fact they live at home that causes it, but the way they are continually treated as children by their parents.

I've seen this happen to a few acquaintances and two close friends (one from high school and the other college). It was very heart-breaking to see it happen to my friends. They both had so much talent and potential to be successful and happy, but never could get past seeing themselves as nothing more than children. Neither of them moved out until their parents got divorced (possibly from the strain of having an adult child under their roof)-and this was a very traumatic way to move out.

They lived in poverty alone, and to this day (10 years later) are still very lonely sad people. I'd never wish this on anyone, and it is why when my DD is an adult, we'll be gently encouraging her to stay in a dorm or get an apartment as soon as she can unless she is going to school or paying rent at our house. It got to be hard for me (and others) to stay friends with these folks. While we were growing up and moving on, they were staying in a time capsule. While, I haven't been in contact with either of these people for a couple of years (it got to be too frustrating), I know through mutual acquaintances that they are pretty much the same, and that makes me very sad for them.

Anyhow, there are ways you can help an adult child move out that is not "throwing them out." You can help them look for a place to stay, help them pack, tell them they can call you if they need help and even help them out a little financially until they are completely able to stand on their feet...but there's got to be very firm boundaries-and this does include some conditions. This is what keeps your relationship with them healthy and it helps them grow up so they can be happy, healthy adults.
 
#121 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzyLee View Post
Your house smelling like smoke (which it will... forever...) also really hurts the property value. Something to consider.

If telling him he can't smoke in the house will alienate him forever then you have bigger problems on your hands then jsut the smoking.
ITA if setting boundaries and consequences will "alienate" your son then you have bigger issues. If his boss told him no smoking indoors would he keep doing it until he got fired?

I have a serious issue with the fact that you will allow him to ruin your home, hurt your health and the health of his siblings, not to mention teach them that there is no need to follow your rules but you think telling him to either follow the rules or find his own place is cruel.

Hello real world where there are consequences for breaking rules. Protecting a "child" from the natural consequences of their actions is not doing them any favors. He is a grown man, expect him to act like one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kate42 View Post
"Son, as of January 1st this is a non-smoking home. Smoking is permitted in the garage and outside but no longer inside for health reasons, just like in restaurants. You are welcome in my home because I love you, but the cigarettes stay outside. This is a non-negotiable rule for people who live and visit here."

Short, firm and caring.
adding "if you choose to smoke in my home you will have to live elsewhere"

I have a great relationship with my mom but I would have expected to get kicked out of her home had I chosen to break her rules as an adult.
 
#122 ·
I never used the phrase "throw him out," but when it comes to someone owning the home, then the larger burden of respect is due to that person. Also, as has been pointed out, the burden of respect should be on a person to NOT hurt the health and home of others.

Especially when the solution is really quite easy, and that is to go outdoors.
 
#123 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherry Alive View Post
Disrespect can go both ways. Anyone who asks how to "punish" their 20 year old child is ignoring the fact their kid is no longer a kid. Unless he is going to college, paying rent, or has some kind of disability, it really is time for him to find his own home-if not for the sake of his relationship with his parents then for the sake of his own independence. Even then, you can always work on ways together on how he can get out on his own.

I've known few adult children who grow up to be happy and well adjusted. The ones I've met who continuously live completely rent-free without consequence or contribution in their parents' homes usually end up to be very miserable later in life. We're talking about 30 and 40 year olds who have never had adult relationships with other people. 30 and 40 year olds who finally move out on their own-only to move into poverty-despite receiving good educations (and the student loans that go with them), because they've never been motivated (or had the self esteem) to have good careers. It's not just the fact they live at home that causes it, but the way they are continually treated as children by their parents.

I've seen this happen to a few acquaintances and two close friends (one from high school and the other college). It was very heart-breaking to see it happen to my friends. They both had so much talent and potential to be successful and happy, but never could get past seeing themselves as nothing more than children. Neither of them moved out until their parents got divorced (possibly from the strain of having an adult child under their roof)-and this was a very traumatic way to move out.

They lived in poverty alone, and to this day (10 years later) are still very lonely sad people. I'd never wish this on anyone, and it is why when my DD is an adult, we'll be gently encouraging her to stay in a dorm or get an apartment as soon as she can unless she is going to school or paying rent at our house. It got to be hard for me (and others) to stay friends with these folks. While we were growing up and moving on, they were staying in a time capsule. While, I haven't been in contact with either of these people for a couple of years (it got to be too frustrating), I know through mutual acquaintances that they are pretty much the same, and that makes me very sad for them.

Anyhow, there are ways you can help an adult child move out that is not "throwing them out." You can help them look for a place to stay, help them pack, tell them they can call you if they need help and even help them out a little financially until they are completely able to stand on their feet...but there's got to be very firm boundaries-and this does include some conditions. This is what keeps your relationship with them healthy and it helps them grow up so they can be happy, healthy adults.
Not to go all OT, and I'm responding to this post, not the OP's situation...but I recently read an interesting article about adult children in the NYT--adultescence is the new term, I believe--and how it can be a vicious cycle. The parent (usually the mom) wants to feel needed, and so always does for the child, well into young adulthood. The child becomes dependent on that, and so it never really stops--the mom has a need and then the adultlescent has the need and so it's an endless loop.

Of course that isn't always true and in this economy I can see where living w/ your family post-college can really give someone a leg up. But I think for the psychological (and physical in this case) health of everyone, rules and boundaries need to be agreed upon and respected.
 
#124 ·
This is off on a tangent, but I am finding it a little strange that a natural family living community seems (in general) to be against adult children living at home.

People are communal animals. I think the way we live now, with everyone apart in their own little houses and in their own little rooms, is unnatural.

Personally, my kids are welcome to live here as long as they wish. They will have to pull their own weight and be respectful, but I see no reason to push living independently. I sometimes wish I'd been born in a time when 3-4 generations still lived under one roof.

One of my best friends rents a downstairs apartment in the house her father owns. He lives upstairs; she and her daughter live under him. Yes, he could get more $$$ if he rented to a stranger, so in that way I suppose he is "taking care" of his 48yo daughter. However, she and her daughter also "take care" of him in many ways. My husband's aunt also lives beneath her parents in a multi-family house. It's pretty common around here.
 
#125 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by 2xy View Post
This is off on a tangent, but I am finding it a little strange that a natural family living community seems (in general) to be against adult children living at home.

People are communal animals. I think the way we live now, with everyone apart in their own little houses and in their own little rooms, is unnatural.

Personally, my kids are welcome to live here as long as they wish. They will have to pull their own weight and be respectful, but I see no reason to push living independently. I sometimes wish I'd been born in a time when 3-4 generations still lived under one roof.

One of my best friends rents a downstairs apartment in the house her father owns. He lives upstairs; she and her daughter live under him. Yes, he could get more $$$ if he rented to a stranger, so in that way I suppose he is "taking care" of his 48yo daughter. However, she and her daughter also "take care" of him in many ways. My husband's aunt also lives beneath her parents in a multi-family house. It's pretty common around here.
I don't think that anyone's against adult children living at home.

But, at some point, the relationship changes from being between a parent and child to being between 2 adults. Not all adults are compatible as room mates.

I'm compatible with my dad. He and I could live together as adults. My mother? No way! She thinks it's amusing to push my buttons.

When I was 18 (and in 2nd year of university) I realized that we weren't good roommates. So I moved out. There's no shame in that.

The fact is that in the OP's case she made a reasonable request which her son refused to honor. That tells me that at this point in his life, he needs a different living situation. Maybe in a few years he'll be ready to live at home again.
 
#126 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by 2xy View Post
This is off on a tangent, but I am finding it a little strange that a natural family living community seems (in general) to be against adult children living at home.
I didn't see ANYONE say that. You didn't even address the issue of his smoking in the house, AFTER he said he wouldn't.
 
#127 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by 2xy View Post
This is off on a tangent, but I am finding it a little strange that a natural family living community seems (in general) to be against adult children living at home.
I just posted about "adultlescence", but I didn't mean that as a blanket attitude towards adults at home, just an observation that sometimes it can be healthy, sometimes not. But I don't think anyone has said or is saying, get the son out b/c he's an adult. I'm saying--and I think others are too--that if she asks him not to smoke, and he says he won't and then does it anyway, repeatedly, he's violating their agreement and she's well within her rights to ask him to leave.
 
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