Mom Of Chain-Smoking Indonesian Child Seeks Help For Her Son (VIDEO)

The mother of 2-year-old Ardi Rizal -- the Sumatran toddler who caused a sensation last week when video footage of him smoking a cigarette turned up online -- has vowed to get help for her child.

Ardi's mother Diana told reporters in Jakarta that her son, who smokes an average of 40 cigarettes each day, throws tantrums and even vomits when he can't satisfy his addiction.

"I learned that I can't use force to stop him," said Diana, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "I need to be gentle and try to distract him."

Authorities have called Ardi "a victim of his environment" and say they are disturbed that his parents' motivation to get their son to quit stemmed more from concern over the cost rather than a true understanding of risks to the boy's health.

Indonesia is the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that has yet to ratify the World Health Organization's framework on tobacco control, which calls for health warnings and other anti-smoking measures.

Comments

[ngstores]

09:45 AM on 06/18/2010

this kids parents must be crazy at all. to stop smoke you can use tutuneson--> http://www.tutuneson.com

[Rand]

09:16 AM on 06/08/2010

Don't buy him cigarettes. If he wants to smoke, have him get a job to pay for the habit

There! Problem solved

[ThankGodhesgone]

03:50 AM on 06/08/2010

WHo put the first cigarette in the child's mouth? That is whom they should be going after. Sick, sick, sick.

[7-2521]

02:49 AM on 06/08/2010

What is she feeding this kid? He has more than a smoking addiction and a four year old in rehab? I wonder if this country has a child s e x trafficking problem too?

[klbrz]

12:34 AM on 06/08/2010

She looks young and probably doesn't realize that part of parenting is wading through tantrums and the occasional ralphing because the kid didn't get his way. Once she learns that, they should hopefully be okay.

[Melissa Harlow]

12:15 AM on 06/08/2010

If i could smack this mom across the face I would. I just can't believe what the heck I just saw!!! REALLY WHAT ARE YOU THINKING YOU PATHETIC WASTE OF HUMAN KIND!!! This is unbelievable and that child is going to be deceased before you know it!! You did not give him a choice in life for he is a child who is innocent and has no idea of the horrible outcome this will cause-and how he will need a talking device because he will develop cancer! UGH I AM DISGUSTED AND SOOO MAD!!!!! IF ONLY.... if only this mom had a brain.

[aspiecelia]

09:13 PM on 06/07/2010

This is all based on ignorance. Why is a two year old making his own decisions about his health?

[SiO2]

08:33 AM on 06/07/2010

Please keep in mind, this woman probably isn't educated, and has no idea that cigarettes are bad. The article states that in Indonesia, cigarette warnings are rare. Don't crucify the mother, she probably doesn't know any better.

[ThankGodhesgone]

03:53 AM on 06/08/2010

Oh com'n. What other mother in this world would put a cigarette in their child's mouth. Even if she didn't know that cigs were harmful, how many ohter mothers have ever done the same?

[popart]

05:54 AM on 06/07/2010

this story is so dumb why wont it go away?

[markdreyfus]

01:20 AM on 06/07/2010

Smoking? Sugar? Alcohol? What happened to the word "no?"

[GerryS]

11:11 PM on 06/06/2010

the kid can not afford the weight gain-------------

[TruthFinderToo]

07:53 PM on 06/06/2010

Israel and tobacco companies, untouchable murderers

[JonBFertippton]

12:52 AM on 06/08/2010

re: TruthFinderToo - Israel and tobacco companies bad

News flash: Israel has stopped smoking, cold Turkey, and is gaining weight, syriously.

[patman77]

07:34 PM on 06/06/2010

I thought cigs were appetite suppressents. Look at that fat boy. He needs to start smokin' stogies to lose dat baby fat.

[Giveadamn]

08:36 AM on 06/06/2010

Two recommendations for "MOM", Chantix baby formula, and birthcontrol!

[llisa]

02:15 AM on 06/06/2010

I was at a parent/child picnic once where an idiot was giving his 2 year old sips of beer and laughing when he couldn't walk without falling down. I hardly knew the guy, and I scooped that kid up and took him to play with my little ones and away from the man and his buddies. The guy said, "It's not a big deal. I do it all the time. He likes it."

I have often wondered how that child (who would be in his late 20's now) is doing. Did he have an alcohol or drug problem as a youth? Does he now?

There are far too many children who have fools for parents.

[SiO2]

08:31 AM on 06/07/2010

My dad used to let me have sips of his beer all the time. Albeit, not a lot, just baby sips, and never enough to get me intoxicated. I just liked the taste of beer. ;\

[llisa]

01:36 PM on 06/07/2010

See, I think a little child should not even KNOW if he likes the taste of beer--since he should never have had any in the first place. My kids didn't even know the taste of sodas for years.