Tradition starter or enabler?

I know it has been almost a year since my last post, in which I stated I was going to try and post more often.  Well as most of my loyal readers know (mom and sis) I am currently unemployed, so I now have more free time on my hands.  Also I was encouraged by what seems to be a third reader over at my favorite cigar forum, www.cigarweekly.com. 

In today’s world smoking has become vilified to the extent that people are forced to huddle in small out of the way alcoves to be able to enjoy their habit when in public.  This isn't a debate over what is right and wrong or personal freedoms but about a decision I had to make.  So was it a father passing on a tradition or was it a father enabling a nasty habit, you decide.

My son and I are fairly close, more so starting in his later teen years, so I get to hear adventures of him and his pals.  Some best kept out of writing but most no different than when you or I were of that age.  So upon hearing of his latest adventure with his friends to Ybor City where they all purchased “hand rolled” cigars, for ten dollars apiece, from one of the vendors that sells mainly to tourist.  Then the group of them went strolling around downtown Ybor like fat cats.  All I will say is that the cigars are not worth the ten bucks he charges but the tourist like them.

Thus the heart of my dilemma recently.  My son, who attends the greatest university in the state of Florida, came home for father’s day to spend it with dear old pop.  He has grown up seeing me smoke cigars and pipes so this has had some influence upon him.  So my dilemma was this; do I educate him in the world of cigars or do I let him find out for himself and possibly just not make it a (expensive) habit for him? 

So I decided to teach him some of the finer points of the cigar hobby.  I started by explaining the three parts of a true hand rolled long leaf cigar, how to cut or punch a cigar cap and how to light a cigar.  I then gave him one of my desktop humidors with a bundle of Padilla Fumas and a few other loose cigars, a humi jar, cutter and a torch lighter.  He was so excited.  I went over how to care for the cigars and the humidor and told him I would be happy to answer any questions that he may have.  I also pointed him to my favorite cigar website, www.cigarweekly.com, and told him that he should join the forums where he would be educated in all things cigars and maybe more.  When he left to go back home to school he carried that humidor out to his car like a baby.

So am I enabler or a tradition maker?  Feel free to post comments.