New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is the Pied Piper of the anti-tobacco crowd: where he goes, others follow. Bloomberg was the first to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Now he’s got a new target: the outdoors.Bloomberg is proposing a $50 fine for anyone caught lighting up in a crowded public place like Times Square or Central Park. Technically he didn’t get here first this time; it’s already illegal to light up in a park or beach in L.A. or Chicago. And here in Seattle, we very briefly banned smoking in parks back in February, a measure that lasted all of 24 hours.But the new ban does give us the opportunity to bear witness to the wackiest anti-smoking quote you’ll ever read:Melissa Sullivan, 32, of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, said her 1-year-old daughter’s playmate had picked a cigarette butt off the ground and almost put it in her mouth. “There is a baby boom in the neighborhood,” Ms. Sullivan said. “As a mom, I don’t want my baby to see smoking and think it’s acceptable.”I want to be careful with what I say here. I’m not a father, so I can’t write with the experience of having raised kids. But I think I speak for all reasonable people out there when I say Melissa Sullivan is the worst mother of all time.If you don’t want your child to smoke, or to think smoking is acceptable, TELL THEM THAT. I once told a kid to hit herself in the face with a pillow as hard as she could. You know what? SHE DID IT. You know why? At a certain age, kids will do anything you tell them to do. They’re great like that.Bloomberg is making his case for the new ban on the backs of some scary second-hand smoking stats. And even though I think it’s a silly and autocratic proposal, I can respect the desire to try and make his city a healthier place to live.But what I can’t respect is someone like Ms. Sullivan, who thinks government policy should act as a substitute for good parenting. When she’s old enough to understand, tell your daughter what smoking would do to her lungs and wallet. There’s a better than even chance that, if you don’t want her to smoke, she’ll take your advice. And oh yeah, when the time comes do that pillow thing too. It’s hilarious.