Only a Matter of Time Till He’s Demanding Beer Too

Most two-year-olds entertain themselves in harmless ways, such as sticking the cat’s tail in the electrical socket or dumping pancake mix all over the kitchen.  But not this Indonesian toddler…!  Oh no.  Two-year-old Ardi Rizal gets his kicks by smoking up to 40 CIGARETTES A DAY.

For some crazy reason, people don’t think this is such a grand idea, so country officials have even offered to buy the family a car if he quits.  However, the toddler’s fishmonger father — who offered the kid his first puff at 14 months old — shrugged: “He looks pretty healthy to me.  I don’t see the problem.”

Meanwhile, Ardi’s mother says her son’s habit costs the family about $5.50 a day.   (Cigarettes are obviously much cheaper in Indonesia).  She cried, “He’s totally addicted.  If he doesn’t get cigarettes, he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall.  He tells me he feels dizzy and sick.”

So they give him a light!

Yeeeeaaaahhhh.  With parents like that, I can understand why Ardi needs to unwind.  Can’t somebody hand this poor kid a box of pancake mix instead…?