I have a number of things that require my attention today, so am unable to write in any major depth… So I just thought I would point out this story to those of you that have not seen this in the news…

The picture and video clip here today are of Ardi Rizal. He is a two-year-old Indonesian toddler who loves his fags. He smokes like a chimney. According to his mother, his cravings are so intense that he’ll burst into a full-fledged tantrum if not provided with at least 40 cigarettes of the same brand per day… yes, he has developed a particular taste and brand loyalty… The image of a toddler going around on a toy car, and smoking, seems to pull some very unusual strings in my brain…

It is worth bearing in mind that a regular pack of cigarettes contains 20, and therefore Ardi’s habit costs £3.78 a day (according to sources), which is equivalent to almost 6% of Indonesia’s monthly minimum wage. The full story can be read here at Asia News website.

Ardi first took a drag when his father Mohammed offered him cigarette one-and-a-half years ago. He has since transformed into an overweight, 56-pound toddler so out of shape that he can barely walk. The Metro reports that Ardi “trundles round on a toy truck blowing smoke as he is too unfit to run with the other children.”

Local officials have tried to bribe the family into forcing Ardi to quit by offering them a car, but his father insists that there’s nothing wrong: “He looks pretty healthy to me. I don’t see the problem.”

Hmmm… Is this responsible parenting? Or should be accepting this very liberal approach by Ardi’s parents? I am more than happy to send a free copy of my stop smoking audio programme to these guys, but it is in the wrong language, would not be wanted and he’d be too young to benefit from it properly… How sad is that?