DEAR ABBY: With the end of summer comes the time of year I dread the most -- the holiday season.
It isn't the holidays that get me down, it's the prospect of visiting my husband's family with our new baby girl. They are all lifelong smokers who think nothing of holding a baby and a lighted cigarette at the same time.
My sister-in-law's kids have allergies and asthma, but she smokes around them anyway. Parties at my in-laws' are literally a cloud of smoke. When my husband's family are guests in our smoke-free home, they smoke outside. These folks think that as long as the baby is away from the smoke, it won't affect her. They don't realize the smell lingers on them -- whether they're smoking in or outside.
With the colder weather approaching, all our visits will be indoors. Our daughter's pediatrician says no one is to smoke around her. My husband refuses to say anything to his parents about the smoke and insists we take our baby to their house. What can I do? Our daughter is only 6 months old, and exposing her to all that smoke scares me.
I should add that I get along well with my in-laws except for this one issue. Please tell me how to handle this. -- SMOKELESS BUT OUTNUMBERED IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR SMOKELESS: Schedule a session with your baby's pediatrician and take your husband. He needs to be told by a professional that a smoke-free environment for your infant is "doctor's orders." Once he understands the importance of a smoke-free environment for the baby's health, the two of you can restrict the family visits at his parents' house and do it with a clear conscience.