2nd Hand Smoke and the In-Laws-Delima! Please Help
by Sarah
(Pittsburgh, PA)
Help! I’m in need of major advise. I’m a 1st time mom of a beautiful 4 month old girl. My delima is a 2nd hand smoke debate. My in-laws (who both smoke in their house) have offered to babysit our daughter in the afternoons Monday through Fridays while my husband and I work away from home.
My daughter would stay with a non-smoking sitter during the morning; then my in-laws are offering to get her and baby sit her at their house in the afternoon until one of us gets home from our job. I hate the fact that my daughter would have to stay for more than an hour in their house on a daily basis because when you walk in their home you can smell the 2nd hand smoke which has absorbed into the walls, carpet, and furniture. This is a very touchy subject with the in-laws, as my husband does not have a problem with it because he was raised with them both always smoking.
Do I confront my in-laws and tell them to quit smoking or they can’t watch my daughter and my daughter spends 10 hours a day with a non-smoking, non-family member baby sitter? Or do I go along with letting my daughter spend time with her grandparents babysitting her in their home (they won’t do it in our non-smoking home), knowing she’s being exposed to 2nd hand smoke which is in their house? (They at least do not openly smoke while she’s in the same room.) Am I just being too crazy and should not bring up the issue; as it’s sure to not go over well with them if I do bring it up and I have no support from my husband?
Any advise is more than no advise, Please help me!
