Smoking is a hot topic with my boys these days. Like most kids, they find it repugnant and go way overboard with their commentary. In the past year -- but at different times -- both pointed at a smoking person and exclaimed something like, "Ewwwww. Smoking is disgusting!" That's a little much, in my opinion.

They hadn't brought up smoking in a while, but their interest in the issue re-ignited with a simple pipe cleaner. While crafting with a bunch of supplies one afternoon, I referred to one of the items as a "pipe cleaner" and they both laughed. They weren't sure what the bendable fuzzy stick was called, but they definitely had never heard it referred to as a pipe cleaner. (The package copy reads "chenille stem.") That launched a conversation about what a pipe cleaner is used for, why someone smokes a pipe and an oral list of everyone they know who smokes or has smoked a pipe. (Leaving off any guilty friends and family members, of course.)

"Santa smokes a pipe," Kai said, slightly disappointed.

"So does Frosty," I said. "And Mr. Potato Head used to, but he kicked the habit."

And then, another conversation about smoking came up a few days later, after reading the classic Margaret Wise Brown book, "Goodnight Moon." This time, it was about cigarette smoking instead of pipe smoking.

On the back of the book, there's a black-and-white photo of illustrator Clement Hurd who, at one time, held a cigarette in his hand. With the help of Photoshop, HarperCollins digitally altered the photo and removed Hurd's cig before the 60-year-anniversary reprinting. Now it just looks like he's holding his hand in a strange, uncomfortable position for no reason.

Although we have the smoke-free copy, Kai pointed at old Clem and said, "Ewww. He smokes." It's interesting that even though the image was augmented, he still "saw" a cigarette between his fingers. We then discussed cigarettes and cigarette smoking, a conversation we've had many times before. When we got to the part of the conversation about whom we know that smokes, I once again left out any friends or family members with a penchant for puffing.

At this rate, we'll discuss hookah smoking or bong smoking before New Year's Day rolls around. Sheesh.