My name is Kalinka Borissova-Petkova. I am a first time mother of one year old wonderful boy Keean and a new resident of Canada (as of three years). I have spent my life living in Sofia, Cambridge, London, Copenhagen and Rome.
I smoked from an early age, because “everyone was doing it,” because cigarettes were easily available and because no one was making an effort to help young children not smoke, nor to enforce anything against smoking.
Well things are changing slowly in Rome. But it is very difficult to enforce something where people’s mentality works the opposite way and is fighting against it. It is easy to disobey a habit which smokers find difficult to control and because the tobacco industry is a money-making machine, not thinking about anything else but profits.
When I moved to Canada and decided to have a child I stopped this useless and harmful habit, and not a day passed by that I am not happy and grateful that I quit smoking.
Having a toddler means a lot of activity indoors and outdoors when weather permitting. That exactly was our lifestyle once my boy started walking.
What was my surprise when we went to the children playground at Rotary Park and the playground at Bower ponds? A mother, grandfathers or friends of parents smoking right at the playground and throwing the cigarettes butts on the ground, for our children (and theirs) to play with. And children running around, playing, enjoying childhood (subconsciously) were breathing in someone else’s smoke.
At their age, they do not know how to protect themselves. And further, how would they protect themselves from other people’s smoke?
It is common knowledge that it is the parent’s and the community’s responsibility to look after and take care for the children. And this community is not giving a darn about what is happening with the lungs of these children, who will grow up one day to be the people looking after us.
Imagine how “great” we will feel when taken to the park for a walk and having to breath in their smoke when they are around us, and we have very weak lungs. Because this is the example they have seen while growing up and playing at the playgrounds and outside. Because most mothers will tell you that the principle of “monkey see, monkey do” works with all those little guys.
I would like to ask: why? Who gives these people permission to poison my child’s health, your grandchildren’s health, your nieces and nephews? Why wouldn’t they step away, 15-20-30 meters away and smoke those cigarettes if it is so urgent and necessary for their survival? Why smoke at the playground?
Well I am assuming, because we cannot rely on people’s common sense, that it is not nice to smoke around children. Some people do not care. For those people there should be a bylaw prohibiting them to smoke around other people’s children.
When I arrived in Canada I was struck by how many civil rights the Canadian citizens have and the responsibilities they obeyed without the smallest complaint. I asked myself why it is that difference between Canada and old Europe. And I came to the conclusion that law is being enforced strongly and because the civil society is really working and contributing to the community life with all its responsibilities and rights.
I am asking our city council to change the bylaw in favor of those little children playing outside on the designated areas for them, called playgrounds and prohibit smoking there.
I will ask more people to join my initiative, as I highly believe that by restricting smoking at children’s playgrounds, you will not only protect our children, but also help smokers cut down, while taking their children to exercise and breath in fresh air.
Kalinka Borissova-Petkova
Red Deer