Mindful Parenting: Mentally Preparing Kids for Emergencies

It's hard enough for adults to deal with an emergency situation, so it isn't difficult to imagine how hard it is for a child. When you are making your family preparedness plan, it is important to include the children, as well.

Preparing your entire family for the possibilities will make life much simpler when you really do need to execute your preparedness plan. In the event of an emergency, it is far easier to handle what needs to be done if the children are mentally prepared and calm.

Discuss Potential Situations

Talking with your family about why you are preparing is always a good idea. While you do have to be careful with details so as not to frighten smaller kids too much, it helps them to know what you might face. Understanding why they need to prepare will help them feel more empowered.

Develop a Plan

Whether you intend to hole up in your home or evacuate, your kids will do better if they are a part of the plan. Let them present their ideas and make sure they know what you are thinking of doing. In the case of a real emergency, they will be more confident and feel safer, knowing that there is a plan in place and they know what to do.

Give Everyone a Job

Even the youngest child can be responsible for making sure she has her socks and shoes handy or for carrying a bar of soap. Responsibility trumps panic in many cases and this can be a good way to get even nervous family members to focus on what needs to be done.

Run Drills

If you have an earthquake, what are you going to do? Running an emergency drill once a month will cement escape routes or actions in everyone's heads. This is something that the entire family can work on.

Stockpile Your Supplies

Food storage is vital when it comes to being prepared. You can show your children that you have enough food and water for several days, or longer, if possible. This is a great way to help them feel safer and ready to face anything that might happen.

Children are quite adaptable and you will be surprised at how well they adjust to a bad situation. Preparing them ahead of time, however, is the best way to ensure minimal problems in a serious situation.

About the Guest Author

Agnes Jimenez is a professional blogger and writer. She writes for many online establishments and supports those ones that offer alternative lifestyles to consumers. As a frugal living and self-sufficiency advocate, she recommends FoodInsurance.com for those budget conscious individuals who want to get big savings in shopping for food storage. To connect with Food Insurance, check out their website and learn more about food storage and emergency preparedness.