Family matters

Family are the most stressful part of prepping. You want to ensure that your family is included and will be covered by your preps and will be educated and ready for any event but they have different ideas.

It would be good if the family actually bought into the prepping mindset. You can then be sure of OPSEC and know that your preps will be untouched or at least if they are touched you will be made aware to ensure that they are restocked. Buy in will also allow you to educate them in survival skills and also ensure that a certain amount of practise is performed.

Sadly, most of the preppers I now don’t actually have buy in by their better half never mind the kids. The best you can hope for is that they just roll their eyes, think we are being silly and put up with our hobby. It keeps him quiet. Being family you still persevere and try and convert them. They join in where it suits them and ignore you when it doesn’t.

With others you can just shrug and let them get on with it. Leave them to sort themselves, or not, you have done your bit. Being family though it is us that are forced to get on with it. We need to prepare for them and work around the issues.

My kids are a bit older now and are off leading lives of their own. I still try and involve them in things by taking them shooting, making sure they understand life’s little risks and that they are observant and can think logically. Thinking about Who, What, Where, When and How. How to discuss issues and work out what the impact will be on others and try and work out any unexpected consequences. It doesn’t always work as experience is the best teacher but you can only do so much.

It is frustrating for me because I know that I can’t count on them being on time and prepared for all eventualities. They know that I have what they may need in the car and so don’t bother. If it was anyone else I’d leave them when they weren’t there on time or were missing something but with mine I have to wait patiently and supply the missing items. I’m well beyond the getting annoyed stage. I am prepared for the situation and take a book with me whilst I wait. Yet, I have no patience for others who would do the same.

One key thing I have pushed and pushed about though is OPSEC. Now it isn’t perfect because they are always taking people into the pantry and my workshop for bits and pieces and I know they tell their close friends I’m into preparing but being kids they are more interested in the guns and I ensure that I let them have a go with the guns which keeps them interested and hides the rest of my prepping. Most neighbours think my son uses it for plinking in the back garden and that is it.

The main area you miss out with is practise and testing as a complete unit. They don’t want to participate really and although I can get them to have a go and help me test a few things I cannot get them to perform a three day food test or a week long no toilet test. I have to simulate certain things and improvise.

When an event occurs I think we will be OK though. I have included what they need, I have included enough food for all and I have thought about their individual needs. They will come around but they will have a culture shock. Much less than most people because they are aware and I will have the stores whilst others don’t.

They are family and family matters. What else can you do but prepare for them?