What kind of role model am I?

Within the last 3 years I have begun smoking and making pipes.

My motivation was my wife’s grandfather who was never seen without a pipe in his mush. This guy kicked it really old school. He worked for the railroads, built a log cabin with his bare hands in the pines of mid Michigan.

The first time I visited the cabin was when the wife and I were first dating. It was Thanksgiving and when I first met grandpa he was sitting in his chair by the field stone fireplace, contentedly puffing away on his pipe. The cabin was effused with the smell of pipe smoke and the old guy just looked so simple and serene as he enjoyed his pipe. He was in the early stages of Lou Gherig’s disease and his hands trembled as he brought the match up to his pipe, but like magic, his hand steadied as he applied flame and grand clouds of billowy smoke surrounded his head.

I wanted things to be that simple. I wanted that serenity. I took up pipe smoking and am now enjoying that serenity. The old man knew how to keep it simple.

As with most parents, I want to be a role model for my children. The kids are at an age that they really look up to me and want to be just like me. They argue over who gets to get Dad’s pipe and who gets to polish them.

The issue arises as they are so into ‘being like Dad’ that all they talk about is smoking pipes and making pipes when they get older. They get a kick of putting one of my pipes in their mouths and pretend to smoke it.

Is that a problem? I don’t know. I’d not want to promote anything that may be hazardous to their health. On the other hand, if the pipe gives them the enjoyment and serenity that it gives me, then I should be happy.

A curious issue.