Hey Lady,
How are you holding up? ~huggs~ and the kids?
I've been debating for days how to respond to this thread. All I can do is draw from my own experience. I have not, nor do I think I will ever be, the stereotypical ex-smoker. Even though you and I have both quit, the person I keep empathizing (not sympathizing! :) )with in this is your dad.
My husband had to (okay, chose to) stand by me through my quitting what felt like zillions of times. He was patient, very patient. He bought me NRT's, made middle of the night runs for suckers, candy and sunflower seeds. He solidly encouraged me in every quit attempt and never made me feel like he didn't think I could do it. He held me when I was crying and steered clear of me when I was angry. And he tried so hard not to show his disappointment every time I failed! He knew I was miserable when I didn't succeed and he didn't want to make it worse. During the last couple of quit attempts I know he was just as scared as me that not quitting would cost me my life. And still he was supportive.
If he had ever given me a hard time, I would have thrown it back at him. If he gave me too much information on the dangers of smoking, I would have gone on a tirade (kind of like when the kids came home after drug awareness week at school! :blush: ). If he had given me an ultimatum, I probably would have left. In my addiction, I would have told myself it was because he was trying to run my life and not accepting me as I was. I would have given up the love of my life, the most wonderful person I know. Because I am an addict.
I guess what I'm saying is, just love your dad. He already knows you want him to quit. Celebrate his acheivements, downplay your disappointments. Just like with our kids...we celebrate those A's and we help them study harder when they get a C or less. We never berate them for not succeeding....(although they do get a pretty good lecture when they don't even try!)
Just love him...
[color=Purple]~bugg huggs~[/color]
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/17/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 361
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 19,135
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2382.6
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 35 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 3
-
Quit Meter
$54,652.50
Amount Saved
-
Quit Meter
Days: 967
Hours: 2
Minutes: 18
Seconds: 46
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
7287
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
182,175
Cigarettes Not Smoked