Dear Prudence,
My husband, our infant daughter, and I recently bought a house in a neighborhood near where I grew up. For the most part it’s a really lovely, artsy, up-and-coming area. We’ve met our direct neighbors on both sides, and everyone’s been super nice. The issue is with our new neighbors across the street. Their house is the eyesore of the neighborhood—overgrown bushes and trees, broken-down cars parked along the street, etc. Most of that I can brush off, but what I can’t seem to let go of is that I see them smoking cigarettes in front of their two elementary school–age daughters. Smoking around children is so detrimental to their health. Personally, I am allergic to cigarette smoke and very sensitive to it. Also, my grandmother smoked until it killed her, and my mother and all of her siblings have lifelong respiratory issues due to their exposure. I can’t imagine there’s any tactful way to ask these people to stop smoking in front of their kids, but perhaps you have a suggestion?
—Smoking Neighbors