This is such a tough subject to tackle. I suppose that’s why I avoid it. How do you get your family on board with a preparedness program when they are really, REALLY not interested? I have a bit of experience here as my DH is nowhere near as concerned for the future as I am. I have to walk a very fine line if I want him to be part of the process and not turn him off to the whole thing.

I did not begin with my most dire predictions. Instead, I began with the most likely scenarios.

First:

You know I have been concerned about being without power for any length of time, especially for the kids. We live so far from town, I really hate to think we would be stuck here and not have something truly necessary like toilet paper or milk. I’m thinking I will get some things ahead and keep them in the spare room closet.

Next:

I am finding that I am saving quite a bit by buying so many things in bulk. Now that we have the membership to BJ’s, I’m going to look at my grocery list and see what else would work in bulk.

Then:

Dont’ the hurricane lamps look nice on the table? I got some extra fuel for them too. It’s up in that empty closet in the den. I hate relying on candles when the power is out. They really aren’t safe.

How about:

Can you believe what happened to that poor family who got stranded in the storm? I made a list of what they should have had with them. If I get one or two things a week, we could have the car outfitted in just a few weeks.

These might be good starting off points. I found that it helped to make sure my family knew that the meal they just raved about came from storage. For us, that’s often food we grew or foraged so it’s pretty easy. Think about a meal of crab cakes, peas, home made fries and home made rolls. The peas should be dehydrated rather than canned as canned peas are vile. Make the dessert something spectacular like apple pie.

Fortunately, a lot of our friends are on the same page as I am and Bruce was indoctrinated by osmosis. He isn’t the type to worry but he is now a least willing to admit that the economy probably won’t recover overnight and that having a deep pantry is a good inflation hedge. We also lived through the ice storm last year and I know that Bruce was pleased to be able to help neighbors who were not prepared. I think he was a bit surprised at just how well prepared we were.

The one thing that won’t help is to turn preparedness into a power struggle. When push comes to shove, your family is your best resource. Maybe you could tell your significant other just that. I’m worried about the future. There is so much that could happen that would leave us at the mercy of some government agency, one that may or may not arrive. But I don’t want you to be unhappy. Could we compromise on this? Could we get to a minimum level of preparedness and see how it feels? If it doesn’t really interfere with our regular life, maybe we could do more. This matters to me but you matter more. I can’t make any promises but it will certainly work better that fighting about it.