Talking with our children about preparation...

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone, in response to some questions and comments I thought I'd start this new thread about talking with our children without causing them to become overly anxious.

 

How did handle this and what are the ages of your children? How did they respond? What do you wish you'd done differently? What do you suggest to others who have the same challenge...preparing our kids for the worst without giving them nightmares??

 

I'll post my own experiences later.

 

I'm very interested to hear your comments and opinions.

 

 

[Stephanie]

Hi y'all,

 

My boys are 3, almost7, almost11 and almost12 Last night watched the re-showing of Jericho. It gave me opportunity to talk with my boys a bit more about preparation.

 

The 3yr old was busy playing with his Mr. Potato head...btw.

 

Because we have lots of tornado warnings, etc. That was how I started talking about prepping. Or even an unusual icy day in winter time can shut down our area and we can't get to the store for milk or we'll lose the power for a while.

 

A while back I ordered a home school curriculum called "Prepare and Pray" which is a literature based unit study using "Swiss Family Robinson". We worked on this together, reading the book as a family. This was a great way to discuss the idea of being prepared and using ingenuity to "make due".

 

I also went to some of the government sites that give free coloring books and other info on being prepared...of course it is primarily weather related...but still served my purpose.

 

Last night the two older boys were full of questions...I handled them lightly, not going into great detail.

 

ie... "What is that?"

"That's called a mushroom cloud."

"What does that mean."

"It is a sign of a nuclear bomb."

"What happens then."

"We'll talk more about it later."

 

I pointed out to them how the bus was almost out of gas...how foolish that was. I pointed out to them how quickly people began to panic and then get angry. I bragged on the boy who used his good sense to put the perishable foods on ice. Etc.

 

To tell you the truth, I don't feel that my preps and our talks disturb the boys....it seems to me that it comforts them and gives them a sense of security.

 

When the tornados were in the area a couple of days ago. We had everything we needed to be without power for a while if necessary and they kept saying, "We'll be ok won't we Mom!" And I agreed with them.

 

Well, those are some of my thoughts...what about you and your kiddos? what's worked for y'all? How much do they really know?

 

Stephanie

[goatherder]

I grew up with preps as a way of life and my kids were raised the same way. It was never a matter of trying to be scary about it, but just a matter of fact, if we couldn't go to the store kind of thing. Since we don't live where there are earthquakes or tornadoes to worry about usually, it's just a matter of having stuff on hand so we don't run out. When I was a kid, we only went to the store once a month or so and had animals and gardens. My kids were city kids, but we always kept supplies on hand which they liked since it meant we didn't have to run to the store if we wanted to bake or get ready for a camping trip.

[HSmom]

My kids are 5 & 7. I put together our BOBs last year. I just explained that if there was an emergency, these were things we would need to have with us.

 

My 7yo had me add a 'blanky' (it was a 4-pack of receiving blankets - they are interchangable) to her pack.

 

When I bought oil lamps it was "in case the power goes out."

 

When I buy food, it's just food. They don't realize how long it will last, nor that we buy differently from other people.

 

When we bought our handguns and the shotgun... that was a little different. We sort of treated guns like sex: you give the child a small amount of information and see where they go with it - before you give TMI.

 

Dh is interested in using silhouette targets at the range, so I recently initiated a gun discussion with the girls.

 

I started by asking what it does and what it's for. They were fine with that. Then I asked when might Dad or I use one. My 7yo suggested that we might shoot a bear that was attacking us (have I mentioned that we live in the burbs?).

 

I took that opportunity to explain that if a bad person were ever hurting her or trying to take her away, I would (and Dad as well, of course) shoot that bad person to stop them.

 

She was shocked!

 

And I realized that my daughter didn't know that I would kill to protect her. That made me sad. But she is only 7 and I guess you don't know anything until someone tells you.

 

So I am making it a point to make sure my children realized that I will work VERY hard to ALWAYS protect them.

 

One caveat: one of my kids has OCD, so I do have to be careful in some areas. I know the things that can trigger her 'worry thoughts' and can present information in small bites that won't overwhelm her.

[Stephanie]

Goatherder, that is great that your kids can "see" the benefits of having a properly stored pantry.

 

HSMom, I loved the info on guns being compared to the "talk". I agree that "bite sized, digestible amounts of info" is the way to go.

 

Being homeschoolers, this is just part of their education in my eyes. I'm try to make sure they are "prepared" to face life....using math, good grammar, and common sense...which in my opinion means "being ready."

 

Thanks for your input!

Stephanie

[MommyofSeven]

This is a great thread!

 

My oldest is 14, and she knows the hows and whys of prepping for our household. Of course, we started simply. Weather. Buying on sale (I love when she comments on other people's buying habits like "They could save so much if they did this instead"). BOB's are for the fire danger we live with on a regular basis here. These simple ideas are what we use with younger children.

 

The only "problem area" that we've had is discussing the fire danger with my 5 year old. She's a bit scared of that, probably more so because daddy is a fire fighter. So if we're planning an evac, I have to continually reassure her.

 

We've been watching Jericho, too, and oldest DD and oldest DS (7) have commented that they are surprised that more people in a small town didn't have better preps. While I wonder if ANYONE is prepared for a wide scale nuclear attack, it would certainly make sense to have food etc. on hand.

 

Mo7

[Stephanie]

We've been watching Jericho too, I think it is very interesting. However, they sure do some nutty things don't they. And I am sure to point out these to the boys.

 

It is such a fine line to help them mature and grow in their "awareness" without overburdening their little spirits.

 

It is really easy to incorporate all of this into our homeschooling ofcourse. I can through out a little nugget here and there to little them chew on a bit.

 

One of my goals is to teach my boys moderation...that doesn't come easy for little fella's...heck it doesn't come easy for me either.

 

Stephanie

[Vic303]

Mine are 5,3,& 2, so they're growing up watching it happen (prepping that is). They already are learning safety around firearms, and I think their biggest annoyance is that they cannot open all the big white frosting buckets we store food preps in! Heck, I have a bit of trouble with the lids sometimes too! Gotta get a bucket wrench soon!

 

--Vic

[goatherder]

In the next episode of Jericho they are supposed to have someone from Denver who is contaminated and suffering from radiation sickness. They have to decide whether to help him and risk exposure or not. Why the heck don't they just put on heavy rubber gloves, strip him off, and hose him down? That would decontaminate him since the only way for them to get contaminated from him would be from any radioactive particles on his skin or clothing. HE isn't radioactive.

 

I can imagine that my future grandkids will grow up with prepping and when they visit grandma's place (not this one, the one I'm going to buy soon) they will see food production in action!

[Camasjune]

My kids grew were raised with prepping, they know we have extra of everything because sometimes Mom doesn't want to or won't be able to shop during really big storms. Mom doesn't like running 12 miles to town to buy one item for twice the price when I coulda' picked it up cheaper and had it on a shelf by planning ahead.

 

We bought the property in 1999 and dove right in with poultry and garden. Kids love it here but balked at the extra work. Older kids balked about how far away from "fun" we are, as if having their own horse wasn't enough.

 

My middle daughter was 12 when 9/11 happened. All my kids were terribly shook up and wanted to know if we were safe and if Dad and I could keep us safe. We explained to them this is why we do what we do and we do it here, 6 hours out of the city protected by natural barriers.

 

For my readers, I gave them the book, No Such Thing as Doomsday. It was a real lightbulb moment for them.

 

For the little one, we read this passage from Proverbs:

 

Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds:

Pro 27:24 For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure unto all generations?

Pro 27:25 The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.

Pro 27:26 The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field;

Pro 27:27 And there will be goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens.

[Stephanie]

Welcome Camasjune!

 

Thanks for sharing, that is a great passage of scripture. I'll be sure to share it during family devotion times.

 

Stephanie