Family Dynamics and Perpetual Preparedness

photo credit: m o d e

Any minute now, I might become a father. My wife is (very) pregnant with our first child, and the seconds are ticking until our lives change significantly (for the better!). As the months have gone by, we have dedicated a great deal of time to readying, studying, and researching how best to do everything we’re soon going to need to do. Preparedness has played a large role—indeed, a central role, since what we’ve been doing up until now is preparing for our son’s birth. Having an end result in mind forces us to think in the long term, and purchase things, learn skills, and become well versed in all that will be necessary. Too often we get wrapped up in the here and now, and let our long-term preps take a backseat. Those of you who are veteran parents know all too well how quickly time passes by, and how fast kids seem to grow up. It is for this very reason that we preppers must repeatedly assess our family’s needs, and re-evaluate our storage and preparedness supplies. Kids grow out of clothes, toddlers no longer need diapers, teenagers require more food, allergies and illnesses develop, etc. As our lives progress, and as each member of our family changes in size, weight, health, and personal preferences, it is imperative that we make it a habit to constantly ensure that our supplies and skills are adapting accordingly. As for our family, we’ve been planning our baby bugout bag—diapers, food, extra clothing, extra pacifier, etc. This bag, no doubt, will have to be repeatedly updated to include larger diapers, different food, more appropriate entertainment, etc. Where possible, it’s a good idea to include children in the planning process so that they have a say in what’s stored, and can be a contributing member in the family’s preparations. But however it’s done, what’s important is that it happen regularly (every six months or every year usually works well). Because the last thing you want to do is having a moody teenager on your hands whose extra clothes in their bugout bag are two sizes too small. (Or, for that matter, a fussy baby who can’t stand those canned green beans you thought she liked six months ago.)