You would think that when it comes to one’s children, a mother’s first priority would be that of her child’s health.
In the case of the two-year-old Indonesian toddler Rapi Ananda Pamungkas, this is unfortunately not quite the case.
In fact, a video of this toddler has gone viral for the exact opposite reason.
In Indonesia – a country with one of the highest rates of smoking in the world – an estimated 9 percent of children under the age of 18 are considered regular smokers.
Among those numbers, Rapi may be the youngest to pick up the habit.
His tender age and subsequent feature in a viral video has created a huge backlash and outrage as a result.
Maryati, Rapi’s mother, claims that he started smoking when he picked up a lit cigarette butt he found on the floor near his mother’s stall in the market.
Upon inhaling the cigarette, he pronounced it delicious and from then on was apparently hooked.
He would go as far as to beg shoppers in the market for cigarettes and pick up salvageable ones off streets.
Smoking has well-documented ill effects – among the long list of health risks long-term smoking poses includes the increased risk of developing lung cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
This is because smoking affects both the lungs and the blood circulation directly.
On top of all this, one has to take into account the addiction problems caused by nicotine dependency.
Unfortunately, Rapi clearly already has developed a smoking habit at such a young age and is known for smoking two packs a day.
His mother has stated that while she is concerned for her son’s health, she has a difficult time denying him his addiction due to his reaction.
Upon being told no, Rapi will throw tantrums, scream, cry, and pull out his hair.
Health officials have already expressed concern for the toddler’s developing health, especially in regard to possible brain damage.
It has gotten to the point that they have visited Maryati in person to urge her to take her son’s health more seriously and get him to go cold turkey.
However, his mother has protested that she is unable to keep a strict eye on her son’s addiction, claiming that the toddler will wander off on his own outside of her range of supervision while she is working in the marketplace.
She continued to explain that he will then find more cigarettes on the streets.
In spite of all the difficulties she must overcome, Maryati has claimed to have already taken steps to curb Rapi’s nicotine addiction.
She has gone on to say that she has already been successfully cut down his smoking and has redirected him to more age-appropriate activities such as playing with toys.
However, a recently posted online video suggests that this may not be the case.
Considering Rapi has developed a smoking habit at such a young age, it is terrifying to imagine just how this will affect his childhood development.
Hopefully, this boy will kick the habit as soon as possible with minimal permanent damage!