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Kids doing remarkable stuff is what we often see on Youtube, but one particular video of a very young boy shocked the world, earning 13 million views. His video became popular not because he’s adorable, but because of his very unusual addiction rarely seen in toddlers like him.
Did you know that child smoking is one of the major problems in Indonesia. It's estimated that 30% of the country’s 80 million child population fall into child smoking at an early age? Indonesia holds the highest male smoking rate in the world. It has also been reported that in 2008, it had been over a billion cigarettes were sold all across the country.
Ardi Rizal, a two-year-old boy from a Sumatran village in Indonesian had a bad habit of smoking 40 cigarettes a day. Can you imagine a toddler smoking like an adult nicotine addict? This is crazy, but see it for yourself. Ardi had become controversial when he was seen chain-smoking in a tricyle. The news spread and became an international headline. His parents said that Ardi began to get addicted to smoking after picking up a cigarette to have a taste of what it’s like to smoke. Sadly, it developed and began to be a bad habit until he could not control it. His parents added that he used to bang his head on the wall whenever they tried to hide cigarettes from him.
Seeing the little boy do that unhealthy adult stuff, it earned a very negative impression among people worldwide who have seen the news. And because of it, the Indonesian government organized a special rehabilitation scheme for the toddler, and that even sparked a national campaign against the practice of letting children smoke because it opens them up to early serious health problems.
The Sumatran native boy underwent an extensive therapy sessions and counseling to help him get rid of his hazardous addiction to nicotine. Along with that, the government ensured that Ardi would never get a hold of cigarettes from now on, giving him a regular visit with the help of Dr. Kak Seto. The doctor’s efforts seemed to work, because every time other villagers offered Ardi a smoke, Ardi knew how to say no and would always say to them that he loved Kak Seto, appreciating Dr. Seto’s care for him.
Ardi is now 4 years old, and after overcoming his nicotine addiction, he now faces a new kind of battle. He begins to eat too much, an unhealthy habit that is as bad as smoking. His parents are kind of worried about him that he’s becoming obese and weighs more than what is normal for his age. He’s fond of consuming condensed milk to an alarming quantity of 3 cans a day. Wow, that’s way too much, not to mention his additional high carbohydrate intake.
Worried about their son, Mr. and Mrs. Rizal decided to put Ardi on a strict diet. His everyday meals include: fresh fish, fruits and vegetable that are always available in his own village. He is never to eat any junk food at all cost even if he throws some tantrums.
