By Brian Duff How to Make Your Family Safer Have you wondered how to make your family safer in this constantly changing world? The 24-hour news cycle and the internet bombard you almost non-stop with troubling stories. Your children see and hear things you would never have imagined at their age. Does what they see and hear as children trouble you as parents? If you are the good parent that I know you are, it probably does. After all, you just want them to have a safe and happy childhood, right? One way to make that happen is to follow these four steps. They are simple steps that involve proactively spending time together. Then, working to pass on your safety, security and preparedness information slowly, in a controlled and positive manner. Spend Time Together The American family changed as TV’s reduced in size and cost, and more parents left home to join the workforce. The changes are even more dramatic with the fact that many kids and parents practically live on the Internet. As this has happened, families spend less and less time together. Gone are the days when families eat, play and watch TV together. It is that separation that families who desire to be safer should overcome. After all, by being together, your family will learn from one another. And learning from one another is better than learning from some stranger on the computer, or the TV, right? By spending time together, you impart many views and values upon your family. Those include your views on safety, security, preparedness and the world as a whole. Many families have forgotten what it’s like to go outside and play together. So, why not read a book, or do something educational together? Go on a hike, skim through a book on local wildlife, play a board game, build a puzzle, etc. I don’t know about you, but it’s the times spent together as a family that I remember most fondly from my childhood. Why not give your kids the same fun memories? Be Truthful With One Another “Honesty is the best policy.” ~Benjamin Franklin. Trust is a key part of any relationship, even with your family. When your family asks you questions, be honest with them. That honesty doesn’t include telling them an EMP is going to wipe out the planet. That is over exaggeration and not how to make your family safer. Stay with what you know is fact and avoid adding drama. Will an EMP wipe out the country? Who knows? What we do know is there is a potential for a grid down situation to happen. So, why not be prepared? Will they be attacked by a terrorist? Probably not, but there is a chance, just like there is a chance of being targeted by a criminal, etc. So, explain that bad people are out there. Explain that they should be observant and keep an eye out. Explain what they should do if something happens. Let them know that they will be okay because you have taught them what to do. Be Positive As preppers, we understandably tend to focus on events that are negative. While we don’t usually intend to be negative, others think we are. Those others can include our family members. Therefore, we should make a conscious effort to be positive as often as possible. When we’re positive, we’ll attract others who may be more willing to understand why we prepare. In the end, there are a lot of wonderful things that happen in our lives. Take the time to focus on and reinforce them to others. Being positive will help everyone come together, be happy and learn in an encouraging environment. Don’t Scare People We all know that the world can be a scary place. That is especially true for children and people who may not be exposed to potential problems like many preppers are. As a result, knowing how to make your family safer can be difficult. Because it’s a scary place many people ignore what’s going on, or put it out of their mind. Often times, when reality hits, they don’t deal with it well. Therefore, it is important to not scare people. When dealing with children, read this earlier blog post for some ideas. If there is something going that should be addressed, parents should take it out of earshot of the kids. Try to not be dramatic and say bad times and bad events are certain. Telling people who are not ready to hear something bad that it’s definite may be counterproductive. Instead of telling people the economy is going to crash, say we could be in for tough financial times. Doing so plants the seed and lets people get used to the idea. Then, as you slowly help the seed germinate, they’ll eventually develop an understanding. Lastly, never forget, you’re just one prep away. If you have any other information, suggestions, or thoughts about how to make your family safer, please leave a comment below. Stay safe, secure and prepared.
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By Brian Duff How to start prepping is a question that many have asked, and many more will ask. It is an important question, because disaster can strike anywhere and at any time. Whether it is a natural or manmade disaster, everyone should be prepared for the worst. As Zig Ziglar stated, “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” Step 1: What Do You Have to Protect? The first step when deciding how to start prepping is to identify what you’re protecting. You may be protecting your family, friends, home, supplies, a combination of them all, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, that is now your mission. Step 2: What Do You Have to Protect It From? With step one decided upon, you now need to know what you’re protecting it from. Disasters, both manmade and natural, take on many different forms. Therefore, you will want to consider what problem you are most likely to encounter. If you live in the mountains, it’s doubtful you’ll experience a major hurricane. However, you may experience floods, blizzards, and wild fires. Manmade Disasters Don’t forget to also incorporate manmade disasters. Economic downturns, terrorism, and other such events, while not from Mother Nature, can be incredibly disastrous. One only needs to read the government’s report on EMPs to understand how terrible manmade events can be. Don’t Get Tunnel Vision While the big events, such as EMPs, are in some ways entertaining to plan for, they are not the norm. Normal events are the lesser but often impactful events. For example, losing your car to a 100-year flood has the same effect as losing it to a thief. Which one is more likely to happen? Step 3: What Do You Have to Protect It With? Now, you’ll need to identify what you must use to protect it. If you’re protecting your home from thieves, you can install an alarm, get a dog, etc. This will require you to assess your situation, and formulate possible scenarios with appropriate responses. As you do, you’ll determine if you have what is needed to respond to the threat. Step 4: Create Your Plan Once you have the first three steps figured out, you’ll be able to develop your plan. One obvious fact is that it’s important to make your plan before you need it. Planning after the fact does little good for you or your family. Know What You’re Planning For Prior to planning, you will need to have a general idea of what you are planning for. That’s where the first three steps come in. With that general idea in place, you have an understanding of your plan’s requirements. Fill in Your Plan With that understanding, you will need to gather any additional information that is relevant to your plan. Once that information is ready, you’ll be able to fill in the holes of your plan. Then gradually, your preparedness plan will take shape. As it does, you’ll address any other issues you identify along the way. Step 5: Review Your Plan When you think your plan is ready, review it. Look for areas that may not make sense, that may be confusing, or that may be ineffective. Revisit those areas that you identify and take a swipe at revising them. Bring in Others After a few reviews, your plan should be fairly solid and ready for others you trust to review too. Have them, review your plan and provide constructive feedback. Discussing and debating the plan and potential options together is a great way to improve it. Have a Realistic Point of View When reviewing the plan, make sure you do so from a realistic point of view. Far too often, we believe that something will happen in a specific way, regardless of the situation. The truth is, you need to expect the unexpected and prepare for the impossible. Do Not Assume In other words, there should be no assumptions made about the capabilities of the risk you are facing. A bad guy can scale the wall you thought impossible. A fire can jump the break you cut and thought wide enough. Remember, Murphy is always waiting to jack you up! So, don’t assume your situation will always unfold the way you think it will. Lastly, never forget, you’re just one prep away. If you have any other information, suggestions, or thoughts about how to start prepping, please leave a comment below. Stay safe, secure and prepared. |
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