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Mom's Unique Stop-smoking Campaign

Aired August 05, 2002 - 14:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: If you had two teenage sons who were smoking, how would you get them to quit? One Wisconsin mom says nothing she's tried works, so maybe a little public humiliation will.
Jenna Mueller with our Milwaukee affiliate WTMJ has this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREN PAAPE, MOTHER: I went up to their room with my camera, and I said, Smile, boys. If you don't want to smile, that's OK too.

Mom, what are you doing now?

JENNA MUELLER, WTMJ CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here is what Karen Paape was doing: making this warning sign for anyone who would buy or sell her 16-year-old boys cigarettes. She put up the posters of twins Gavin and Brad at area gas stations.

PAAPE: Are you absolutely out of your mind, my dad called me, because I think he thinks that it's going to cause a lot of trouble, you know, rather than help.

MUELLER: It's certainly causing people around town to talk.

CHARONNE KALUZNY: When I was a kid, I sort of wish my parents would have done that, or some of the other people in the community would have spoke up.

JULIE SCHMIDT: I think it's kind of extreme measures. Yes. I think talking to your kid, trusting them, you know, supporting them.

MUELLER (on camera): This Mobil station is one of the gas stations where Paape put up the poster. She had it right here, but you can see it's not here anymore, because one of her sons, Gavin, actually came in and tore it down.

PAAPE: I knew he would. I got more where that came from.

MUELLER (voice-over): They came from her computer, and she is making more until she hears one thing.

PAAPE: That they say, Mom, we don't smoke anymore. I had a drag yesterday, and it made me sick. Good, that is what I want to hear.

MUELLER: Until that happens, Paape hopes everyone hears this.

PAAPE: You can't mess with a mother and her children. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That, again, from WTMJ reporter Jenna Mueller on one mom's rather unique stop-smoking campaign.

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