There is a local vapor cafe I visit 3-4 times a week to hang out, work, and attend events they have. They also serve coffee so it's perfect to just hang out, work, and vape without being judged. It's also nice to meet the people here that have the similar love in vaping.
As I sit here, for some reason I feel this internal rage come over me when there are children in here. As I look toward the front of the cafe from the back, there is a cloud of vapor in the air. In that cloud of vapor, there is a child whom cannot be more then 4 to 5 years of age. As a father of a 4 year old daughter, I couldn't fathom bringing her in here. I don't even vape around her as I have to believe the vapor emitted into the air must have some trace of nicotine in it.
Am I wrong in feeling this way? This is the second time I've seen a child in here and it bothers me. I am getting to know the owners so I will mention something to them in due time, but has anyone else experienced this?
I do not think you are wrong to feel this way. And also not wrong to mention your feelings to the owners. But, like others in the thread have said, you are entering into territory of our adversaries when your feelings turn into reasons that others should feel like you do.
In reading many posts on this thread, I kept thinking of the Cat Stevens song, "Where Do The Children Play?" I honestly can't think of any place that is safe / always wonderful for a child to be in. Even the places that are most obvious have their share of media (or even scientific) reports pointing out the examples of dangers that come to kids there. Thus arguably, we've created a world where no place (none at all) is safe for a child to be / play.
I would vape around kids, have vaped around kids, don't have a hangup regarding vaping around kids. And I know I would resist the argument that says it is inherently dangerous to vape around kids.
I also think lumping 'kids' into one big homogenous group seems ridiculous. There seems to be very significant differences between 4 to 5 year olds and 12 to 16 year olds. But if 'no vaping around kids' is the rule in effect, then those differences go out the window, and unreasonable emotional hype is squarely on the table. I personally think it is questionable to bring a child under the age of 8 into a vape shop (or really most public places that adults like to go). I can't go with saying it is wrong. Pretty sure I don't feel that way, but also feel lots of conditioning from adults has lead me to be tempted to call it wrong. Almost always feels like it is based on emotional hype and not reasoning.
I always find these type of discussions interesting cause we are talking about people (referring to them as a group that is unlike us now) and yet ALL OF US were once one of them (and likely still are a little like them). I'm not aware of any other segment of the population where that is the case, and with all the emotional hype we have around kids, it continues to fascinate me how 'we' treat 'them.' It seems like we project a whole lot of stuff onto 'them' and yet, I'm constantly wondering what others childhoods were like to have arrived at this seemingly 'all-knowing' position that this is wrong for a child to be around or engaged in.
I would be interested in what the 4 to 5 year old thinks about being in the vape shop. IMO, that would trump what any adult thinks ought to occur. If that 4 to 5 year old is like I was at that age, or like many other 4 to 5 year olds that I've observed, they might one minute think it is totally okay to be in the vape shop and 1 minute later think or express that they don't want to be there at all. IMO, that very much matters, but does ultimately come down to how the parent wishes to handle it. We don't live in a world (yet) where the parent's determinations are secondary, and unless it is blatant physical or very overt emotional abuse, I don't see how any other adult could reason that harm is indeed coming to this child in that situation. I would be up for that discussion, but also realize that the parent who refuses to put their child in that situation isn't going to be all that interested in the discussion for more than 5 minutes.
I've only been in a vape shop once, and was there for about 5 minutes. I did not vape in there, and very easily could've. There were no minors present that I can remember. I recall it being very visibly foggy in there. And was part of the reason I chose not to vape. Being around a horde of vapers to vape is not something that currently appeals to me. If ventilation was great, it might appeal more to me. To think all kids would automatically dislike this, seems unreasonable to me, as in you either don't actually understand kids, or you don't remember what you were like as a kid. I do actually believe I, as a 5 year old, would've had more appeal to that situation (room fogged with vapor) than I do as an adult, and likely wouldn't have had desire to vape in there, but just be in this cool / unusual place that mom or dad seem to be happy at. But at 4 to 5 years old, that would've lasted for maybe 5 minutes and then I'd want to be out playing somewhere. You know, some place else where I might get hurt. And that some media outlet would surely report on as a danger to kids in today's society.
Might be somewhat closer to, uhh... Ritalin?
