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Watch Video Here!
I saw this video, and I wanted to throw up.  I don't smoke, thank God.  Not to be disrespectful, but my parents did enough of that while I was growing up to have me constantly sick and to take years off my life.  I've had my fill of it.  

But, you know, smoking isn't the only preventable cause of death. 

What about laziness, weight gain, poor eating habits, drinking excessively, not protecting yourself through regular doctor / dental visits, not taking care of our mental health, allowing ourselves to be depressed and fat and knowing that something might be 'wrong' but doing nothing about it?

Why?  Because we don't want to, because we're too busy, because we have other things to do.  Me, me, me, me, me. 

But what about them?  What about the babies we bring into this world?  When we encourage our kids to eat better than we do, not smoke, don't drink, get their vaccines, go to their dental appointments, exercise, don't be lazy, yet we don't take any advice ourselves, what are we teaching them?  Do as I say not as I do?  Well, news-flash parents, that isn't how parenting works.  Our lives speak louder than our words. 

Let's not rob our kids of a childhood with us and of their own experiences by setting bad examples and not taking care of ourselves.  Let's not rob our kids of the healthy habits that will lengthen their lives by not leading by example.  Let's face it.  Kids will do what we do, not what we say. 

B is proof of it already.  If Aaron and I eat 'out' one night for convenience and laziness, but try to prepare some veggies for B, he doesn't want his veggies.  He wants what we have, regardless of what it is!  He's not even old enough to want it because he thinks one tastes better than the other, he wants what we have because we have it.  Period. 

So let's not leave our kids early.  Let's not grow them up in a lifestyle that will require them to leave our grandkids early... it's not worth it.  They are more important than any cigarette, any discomfort in a doctor's office, any addiction to food, alcohol, etc.  Let's take care of ourselves so we can be here to take care of them.