I read on some other thread this morning about someone’s nine year old’s having a sleepover and how they are not aware of the threat of the pandemic…anyways, got me to wondering how many of our kids are aware and to what extent are they involved with the family preparations. (No criticism meant to that mom…nine years old is definitely young to be worrying about such things!)
I have one child, a 13 year old son. With him being an only, and me being a news junkie all his life, he has grown up with an awareness and understanding of current events that many other kids his age don’t have. This is good and bad…he tends to be somewhat anxious and sometimes news makes him worry.
As soon as Bird Flu came onto my radar, I thoroughly researched it on the internet, then sat down my husband and shared all I found out. That was in February. We have been prepping ever since. My son has been in on it all along, and I have allowed him to make some choices as to what we have bought food-wise. It makes him feel better to know he will have some of his favorite junk food items available if we have to SIP!!
But again, the downside is that he spends a lot of time thinking about different scenarios, and asking me a million “what if’s”, most of which I cannot answer. He is very worried about our different extended family members, will they have enough to eat, etc. I have tried to talk to them, some are receptive to prepping, some are not. What else can I do?
There is one brother I am particularly close to, he and his wife have three children under 7, one is disabled. They have always struggled financially, and to top it off my brother was recently laid off. The unemployment isn’t even enought to pay the regular bills let alone prep. (and they want to.) My son is so worried about them, so the other day I said, “let’s take $50 and go to Aldi’s and see what preps we can buy for them”. We got a few boxes of basics and took it over to their house. I told my SIL she had to put it away in the basement for emergencies, which I know she will. It didn’t look like very much but it made my son (and me!) feel a little better and hopefully they will find a way to put more away too.
I just keep telling my son I HOPE that I am wrong and this thing never happens, but we HAVE to prepare in case it does. I think he gets it.
Sorry……the title didn’t post right. It was supposed to be “Are your children aware of BF and/or involved with prepping.”
My daughter is 14 and my son 20. My daughter gets it most of the time. I have involved her in decisions on things to buy.
In fact we talked again last night about it. She wants info in small bits. I gave her an update and reasuured her that nothing almost nothing I bought will go to waste.
Also told her that I will drive and go get her big brother and my infant grandaughter when I believe its starting and that they will take over her room and she will be with me.
She didn’t argue or anything about it, which means she understands the seriousness of this.
I reached the conclusion that there is nothing more that I can do for the rest of the family. They are financially better able to SIP and prep better then I and they haven’t. My SO has gotten water barrells and a few things but not much, we don’t live together, figured we would maybe do that when my daughter went off to college but I offered him the option of staying and he declined. My kids, grandbaby and pets would drive him crazy full time he said.
Its out of my control which sucks and I’ll have to deal with the emotional fall-out for myself and help the kids through it too.
All we can do is do what we can.
I continue to buy preps, I feel somewhat comfortable now, the longer this holds off the more I can prepare something for other members of my family.
I have 5 and 9 year old. 9 year old was born worrying. We haven’t mentioned anything about BF. Even before we became preppers and the fridge was getting a little empty she was worried. We are very comfortable and there has never been a day in her life that she would have ever worried that she wouldn’t have food or anything else for that matter, but still she worried.
I am a news junkie too, so that probably contributes to it. They are always listening even when we think they are not.
As far as our preps are concerned we call it “T’s Grocery”. T for our last name and the kids have fun when I am out of something for a recipe to “go” to the grocery. They think it’s great, and until I got organized last week it could be quite an adventure poking around trying to find that particular item! I have no doubt that they will have a “T’s Grocery” in their house since they see the benefit of it.
They are still young, life’s short, we’ll get down to the nitty gritty if and when we have to.
Newyorkprepper – at 10:01 No criticism meant to that mom…nine years old is definitely young to be worrying about such things!
Newyorkprepper, Your family sounds like mine, right down to the extended family issues. I’m a lifelong news junkie, one-time journalist, and both my kids are definitely more informed than most of their peers (and half the adults we encounter, sadly) about world events.
Where I think we may differ is that I don’t think you can generalize about what a kid can/cannot handle based on chronological age. My 10 y.o. and 8 y.o. children know we are prepping, that we are prepping for pandemic and any other bump in the road that could materialize, and they have told me they feel better knowing what we are doing and why.
That said, they do ask the “what if” questions, many of which are unanswerable. However, I think teaching my kids the importance of being able to process and cope with uncertainty is one of the most valuable skills I can help my children develop. I believe it contributes to resiliency, adaptability, and flexibility, which I believe are among the most essential life skills. If the kids are old enough to perceive there’s “something” going on, it can create more anxiety for them not knowing.
I think taking your son to Aldi’s and helping prep for your brother’s family was a terrific thing to do. It alleviated some of your son’s anxiety and taught him a fabulous lesson in compassion and helping others.
Several of my children’s closest friends’ parents are prepping but have asked me and my children not to talk to their children about pandemic. My kids know that my husband and I discuss topics with them that most parents do not. They know that they should keep our discussions within the family unit. So respecting and honoring the requests of our friends’ parents on pandemic matters is standard operating procedure. I view it along the lines of sex ed, religion, and politics. I wouldn’t breach those topics with my friends’ kids, and I wouldn’t do so on H5N1 either.
My kids do help with the preps to the extent of their ability. Both have helped organize our supplies and are actively involved assembling materials for study kits and project kits (sewing, model making, etc.).
All that said, there are days when my kids don’t want to hear a word about pandemic (I know how they feel!), and we just drop it. In fact, we’ve pretty much stopped prepping the past month or so and devoted ourselves to relaxing and having fun—something else I consider as much a pandemic prep as stockpiling food.
Edna Mode:
Sounds like we are a lot alike! My son knows not to bring up BF, he follows my lead and we only talk about it with others if I sense they are receptive.
I have a good friend with two boys who, until recently, still believed in Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. My son stopped believing at age 4 I think. Anyways, my friend asked me to have a talk with my son about it, she didn’t want him to blow it for her kids. I did, even though personally I think they are way to old and she is sheletering them. But ever since that, my son realizes that not all families are alike in their beliefs and he knows not to bring up controvertial topics.
There are certainly many life lessons to be learned with all of this!
My kids still believe in the tooth fairy and santa claus. They’re 11 and 13. But I still believe too. :-) But they know what to do when the weather channel says tornado warning. We used to live in Texas and when they were 1 and 3 they’ld drag their blankets and pillows to the tub in the bathroom that was our shelter. If you practice fire drills, you can practice for the BF. Mine feel safe when I tell them what our preps are for and how to use them, (over and over again until it sinks in). Now we haven’t talk about what to do with the neighbors, and I haven’t figured that out either.
.. and our neighbors throw baby teeth up on the roof for good luck.
Life experience has taught me to see both sides of this coin very we;;. One of my very best friends as a teenage was from a VERT sheltered Christian home. Her parents never shared any of their worries or concerns with her. In their opinion children regardless of their age were to be shielded from life’s concerns, worries and anything unpleasant regardless of their age as long as they lived at home. She was so sheltered she became so physically ill when she went away to college she was hospitalized and had to be sent home before the end of the first semester. To this day she has no college degree. Something she definately had the grades and brains for in high school. Any sheltering about the hard facts of life I ever had as a child ended the day my dad had a heart attack while on what was supposed to be a fun outing over an hour away from home with just my brother and I. I ceased being a child that day because I had to grow up. There was no more sheltering and my parents really did not have the choice. It’s just the way things had to be. As a teenager I sometime envied my friend her sheltered existance. And I alternately thought it was past time she understood some real facts of the world. I suppose it really depended on the situation and the day and what was happening or not.
Now, many years beyond high school and college. I am grateful I did not lead the very sheltered life she did. Sure there are days I wish I had not had some things quite so tough, that there had been more of that safe secure feeling she enjoyed as a child into her early adult years but by comparison my life overall has been easier and my adulthood much less of a rude shock than hers has been BECAUSE I was not sheltered and protected from the hards facts the way she was. I have had a better, happier marriage. I have been better able to manage my spending and finances for longer with less personal stress when the going has gotten rough. Even my children are much better adjusted than hers.
My friend has suffered mental illness, spousal abuse and then some, because she was unprepared by her parents for the real world. She has even admitted this herself. She said many of lifes realities came as a very rude shock because she had been so sheltered. She has been unable to help her children deal with drug addiction, mental illness, or being thrown out of college.
We both have seen that I have been better able to cope with the little ups and downs of life than she has. I have also managed to keep my kids away from drugs and other such vices, My kids have in general had fewer “life problems” than hers and are generally happier.
To shelter or not shelter children is a very personal choice. My own opinion that sheltering them too much is not doing them any favors. It is instead setting them up for a very rude shock.
I agree, it really depends on how you handle everday situations in your own family. We are very open with our 11 yr. old son, he is the last of 4, so he has always been a littlme more mature. He is aware of prepping and we have discussed avian flu with him and he now is very aware of germs and has his own hand sanitizer. He is a little concerned about his best friend, but not just in a panic situation, as his friend comes from a troubled home. We just try to be open and honest with him, but do caution him not to discuss our family position on prepping. He told that same friend yesterday that the room where we store some of our preps, which is where the computer is, was that his mom just liked to grocery shop. This bedroom is also the same room where we homeschool, so this year being prepared is going to be a part of his lesson, we have decided to always be prepared for whatever life hands us.
Are your children aware of BF and/or involved with prepping.”
yep… but they are in their mid-20′s and early 30′s.
The grandkids also know, at age appropriate levels. Basically, we are really emphasizing personal hygiene and sanitation skills. We have those posters you can download about handwashing and coughing posted in our homes. The kids are involved in fixing things projects. They help and observe home canning. They are encouraged to do as much for themselves as they can, with adult supervision monitoring or stepping in when necessary. They’ve got a cough… we talk about what they are getting for it and why. Periodically we let them mess with the hand held communication devices.
I’m curious about something…..first let me say that I don’t have kids so I won’t presume to say what should or shouldn’t happen communication-wise with them. The Mormans have been living by standards of storing a year’s supply of food for every family for years and years, for any possible emergency. Wonder what they tell their children? I know that for them it’s a way of life and for some here, it may just be for BF, but could we learn something from their training of their children?
Newyorkprepper – at 11:33 I have a good friend with two boys who, until recently, still believed in Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. My son stopped believing at age 4 I think. Anyways, my friend asked me to have a talk with my son about it, she didn’t want him to blow it for her kids.
And here’s the rub! My kids can talk about the intricate details of the Mideast conflict between Hezbollah and Israel or have a debate about evolution vs. creationism, but both still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. Some paradoxes will never be reconciled! Call it sweet-n-sour parenting. I’m sure my daughter is suspicious, but she likes to carry on the charade, so what the heck.
I’m-workin’-on-it – at 09:26 I think the Mormon’s kids are just acclimated to it. It’s a way of life. I started prepping for pandemic, but I can tell you that the process has been so enriching. Everyone in our family is learning skills that will serve us for life. We’ve have learned a TON about nutrition and whole foods. Our family is eating more healthily, we are more aware of our energy impact on the world and are taking measures to trim it. The process, in an odd way, has been very beneficial for all of us.
I have a 14 year old daughter. I have kept a six month supply of food and personal items for almost all of my adult life - so she has grown up in a house that is somewhat prepared. The food/supply reserves is for all emergencys - established long before I was aware of pandemic flu as something to prepare for. My daughter grew up understanding that this provided a “store” of food to keep from running to the grocery store every time a recipe required an ingredient that was not in your pantry, to cover times when money was tight, provides cost savings by shopping in season and in bulk, and covered emergency situations where transportation may be limited or health precludes traveling. I am also an avid gardener and have always preserved foods from the season for use during the winter. It’s just good financial management to keep a reserve that you use.
About a year ago I began to get very concerned about the perfect storm I was seeing on the horizon - pandemic flu, global warming, and peak oil. Very interelated - each a serious concern in itself - and unfortunately, in my opinion, likely to come at us together in some fashion. Because of those concerns I began a project to add an ADDITIONAL one year layer of food and personal supplies - with that layer being much longer term in nature (i.e. we will rotate it into the food inventory much more slowly - as the food products have a much longer shelf life being predominantly dried). I also attended to low tech backups for heat, lighting, and water - something I had not really addressed before. When I began that project I talked to my daughter about why I was doing it and involved her in the decisions as much as she indicated she wanted to be. She understands very well and pays attention to news reports, reads Time magazine from cover to cover when it arrives, and generally has a much better knowledge of current events than most adults I know. There are times though that she really does NOT want to hear about the latest information. I try to let her decide how much to take in and when to walk away from “info” and carry on with being a kid. I think she has done a nice job of balancing being a child still - but accepting the need to take personal responsibility and actions as needed given that world as we know it can change rather rapidly.