Trying to prepare family members for a survival situation can be a difficult and frustrating task. While they can understand the need to know how to maintain core body temperature, find food, read a map, and all other survival skill teachings, some people have a hard time truly seeing why they need those skills.
I think this has to do with modern living and a false sense of security. As I once heard someone say, “There will always be someone to help me, and I can always purchase what I need.”
I hope that you can see what is wrong with that statement, and if your family cannot, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to share examples with them that highlight its absurdity. Other than what I mentioned above, there are a few reasons why I think some people are not interested in learning about this topic.
First and foremost, all they ever hear about this subject is doom and gloom scenarios, such as nuclear war, world war three, global pandemics, asteroid impacts, etc. Many of these examples are certainly plausible, but they are also overwhelming and can easily put someone into a negative mindset.
The other two reasons are information overload and an individual's being lucky enough to never have experienced the need for such skills.
I would like to begin by saying that this article will not be a detailed list of skills or a specific procedure for how to teach your family those skills. I will mention a group of skills that everyone should know how to do for their own benefit, but I will be focusing more on how to get your family interested in wanting to learn survival skills, which in my opinion is one of the most difficult aspects of preparing your family.
(CHANGE INTRODUCTION?)
Over the years, I have talked to a lot of people who have tried to get their family on board with preparedness and survival, and they have been met with pushback and a lot of frustration.
In my experience, there is one person in the family that is involved in preparedness, maybe two. If your whole family is on board with survival/preparedness plans, then you should consider yourself lucky. For most people, getting their families on board and teaching them survival skills can be a difficult proposition. Here are some methods to use when preparing your family for a survival situation that should hopefully make the process easier.
Make it fun and get them involved!
Most people are going to find learning about survival skills and emergency preparedness boring, especially kids. Don’t approach them with the doom and gloom side of it. Instead, find ways to make the information you are teaching fun.
It is equally important that you don’t just talk and show them how to do something, but allow them to be involved as well. If an activity is fun, people will be more open to learning about it, and if you give them hands-on experience, they will be more interested as well as more likely to remember what to do.
K.I.S.S
Individuals that are knowledgeable about a topic can sometimes forget that others don’t know as much as they do. They tend to dispense too much information too quickly. Also, this information can be too advanced or complex at the beginning, which results in frustration between the teacher and the learner. This reminds me of the acronym K.I.S.S., or keep it simple stupid.
You may have spent years or your entire life learning about preparedness and survival topics, but the person you are attempting to teach has not, so keep it simple.
Conclusion
We never know when or where a survival situation can happen, but if we pay attention along the way, they can often be avoided. There are, of course times that they cannot, and you will want your family to be as prepared as possible so they can take care of themselves and their loved ones.
Remember, ease into it, keep it fun and simple, and be sure to cover the basics. Thanks for reading and I hope you and your family stay prepared.
Let us know if you have any questions or how you have prepared your family for a survival situation by leaving a comment below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan grew up in the Midwest and spent every waking moment outdoors. Learning how to hunt, fish, read the land, and be self-reliant was part of everyday life. Eventually, he combined his passions for the outdoors, emergency preparedness, and writing. Bryan is a published author with Fox Chapel Publishing. In 2019, Bryan authored the book, Swiss Army Knife Camping and Outdoor Survival Guide. In March 2021, he released his second book, Paracord Projects For Camping and Outdoor Survival.