How much do you love your family? I am sure your thinking what kind of question is that there is no way to measure the love one has for their family( wife -kids -husband etc) well then let me ask you this what would you do to save there lives? Anything it takes right? Well that’s what I would do… ANYTHING… and that means putting up with the looks and comments of being a mom who is preparing for what ever is to come.
As you were growing up didn’t you hear all the time “listen, learn and be ready for a world out there as an adult because life isn’t the same as when you are a kid” So you go to school get good grades and hopefully go to college and land that perfect job so that you can make lots of money and live a life less harsh than those who didn’t prepare for life as an adult or even think about retirement. Yes You know that the day will come when mom and dad will tell you to leave the nest yet you want to believe that day would never actually come but it does. YOU WERE PREPPING even then but didn’t realize it.
Now you are married and you have a baby on the way, all you can think about are the what if’s. Now if you are the mom you start eating right, stop drinking, smoking or doing anything that could put your child in harm. You worry about everything, you think what if she falls down the stairs-so you put up a gate. What if you plays with the electrical outlits-so you child proof them with those little plastic covers) Oh and then there’s College – so you start an account and save for that day.
Guess what…. YOU ARE A PREPPER!
Yup that’s right everything you have ever done comes down to this one thing PREPARING for your future and finding a way to live it happily, safely, and keeping those you love from harm. So again let me ask you What would you do to save there lives?
I am a mom of two wonderful kids who like all parents we think about everything, and that includes getting ready for the unknown.
I don’t want to hear my kids tell me they are hungry and I can’t do anything about it. I don’t want to tell them there isn’t anything to drink because the water is bad. I prep because I want to save not only my life but my loved ones as well. Sure I get the looks from them and my husband, and yes I hear the jokes. But in my heart I know I am doing the right thing because I believe we all have the instinct of survival you just have to listen to it.
Prepping doesn’t mean you have to build a bunker or have a garage full of food and it certainly doesn’t mean you have to be a cut throat and be ready to harm anyone who comes near you or you family but it does mean you have to prepare yourself and your family in the case of an emergency. It is as simple as setting everyone down and begin talking about how they feel about things like not having water to drink or electricity (maybe only for a few days- but worst case is it could be for weeks).
Being a prepper to me is knowledge of what to do in case of a life changing event and if I can in some small way make people understand how important this is to me and how important it is for them to prepare as well, then I am doing my job not only as a mom but as a human-being who cares about the human race and I dread the day when this feeling I have becomes a reality, but if and when it does I want my family to know that I am always thinking of them and maybe just maybe if this letter has made you think “maybe I should look into prepping a little more then I have made a small difference in someone’s life.
Remember it is never too late to prepare and protect your family for other life events that may arise. Protecting your family doesn’t come with an expiration date and if you know you are ready to do whatever it takes to protect them then take the next step to learning everything you can to prepare for all of those “What if’s”.
T.C. AZ
32 Comments
Carson · April 5, 2012 at 1:49 am
Very nicely done I pick this one.
Terri Chayeb · April 11, 2012 at 5:09 am
Thank you Carson for your votes..
Carson · April 5, 2012 at 1:50 am
#1 I like this one
Kathy · April 5, 2012 at 7:23 am
Despite my Brother; ‘Who-Doesn’t-Believe-and-thinks-i’m-insane’…I have gathered little things every month on my tiny Soc Sec check. My bathroom shelves are stocked with coffee and vacuum bags of rice/beans& pasta. My bedroom closet has first aid and non-food/lighting items. I have a tent and sleeping bag plus I make scrap quilts as a hobby. Some cases of water for 2 for$7 sale from Albertsons are under the table in the ‘pool’ room. So far I have at least gathered enough to surpass the 72 hour bare-bones supplies. I have been lectured on foolishness and ORDERED not to store food in my room (because of ants). I have been called on the carpet like a 4 year old because I’m trying to DO SOMETHING. Why am I doing this? No one else will take care of my brother and I. From a power outage to whatever. I am going to take care of my own!
Terri Chayeb · April 11, 2012 at 5:15 am
Kathy you are right you can’t rely on other people to take of you when honestly if everyone is fighting for there lives peoples minds will go straight to taking care of THEIR families. Your brother is very lucky to have someone worrying about him before anything happens. I do the same things you do buy water when it is on sale pick up a few extra things here and there. It seems my mind is always in prep mode lately sometimes I feel like a junky LOL.. I wonder if there will be a day when I can say “OK I got enough stuff” . Thanks for your vote.
Julie Smith · April 5, 2012 at 11:15 am
really good points i never thought of it like that we’ve pretty much been prepping our whole lives and didnt even realize it.
Terri Chayeb · April 11, 2012 at 5:17 am
Thank you Julie I am glad my letter has made things a bit more clearer.
KS · April 5, 2012 at 3:55 pm
So many points in this article “hit the nail on the head” with me. My husband’s best friend is very verbal about his beliefs that preparing is outlandish, and he opposes it strongly. I don’t understand this mentality since I feel such an innate responsibility to take care of my family. My husband, of course, is caught between us, so although he says we should have “something on hand”, he typically resists my efforts to bring things into the house.
Not too many years ago, we were struggling to make ends meet and had absolutely no food stored. We lived paycheque to paycheque with big gaps in between. I realized that some families honestly can’t build up their storage during certain periods of job loss, schooling, sickness, etc. We only made it through with help from my parents’ shelves. I also realized that if we had been faced with disaster at that time, we would have been in desperate need of assistance from others. Fortunately, we have since been blessed with the ability to acquire some supplies to help us get by in times of trial.
Because of my experiences, I hope I will be in a position to help those who, like we had been, truely weren’t able to store things for themselves beforehand. As for people like my husband’s best friend (and you may not agree), I hope they can find a way to get by without my help. He has had me in tears on more than one occassion because of his indignant attitudes and opinions, and the things he says about those of us who are making efforts to prepare. Perhaps there will come a day when he again has me in tears, but from sorrow, because it’s too late for him to acquire the necessities to take care of himself and his family.
Terri Chayeb · April 11, 2012 at 5:24 am
Hi KS, I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble with people not seeing what you see Stay strong. I know I haven’t told any of my friends that I am a prepper because I don’t want to have to hear the comments either but you are right there will be a day when he will come knocking on you door and then you will have to decide if you will forgive him for the things he has said to you I hope he can honestly tell you how sorry he was to judge you so harshly. Good luck and Thank you for your comments
Marty · April 8, 2012 at 2:44 am
You have managed to write a wonderful essay about the real physical, emotional, financial, and mental ways that we all prepare. It is only a small step to up the pace or intensity of the prepping. Thank you.
Terri Chayeb · April 11, 2012 at 5:28 am
Thank you Marty I am really glad you liked my letter. Thank you for your wonderful post. 🙂
Leanna · April 11, 2012 at 4:53 am
I understand more about why my family preps. I thought it was silly to prep for something that I wouldn’t want to happen and I thought it meant my mom couldn’t wait for something to happen because she seems so exited about to talk about the things she learns about prepping but after reading this letter things seem more clear. I am glad there are places like this that you can go to hear others views on prepping Vote # 1
Leanna · April 11, 2012 at 4:54 am
I want to add vote # 2 here
Leanna · April 11, 2012 at 4:55 am
#3 vote as well
Leanna · April 11, 2012 at 4:56 am
vote 4
Leanna · April 11, 2012 at 5:00 am
Vote # 5. I really think this letter should make people realize prepping is ok. That there is nothing wrong with worring about what you don’t know may be coming I think it just goes to show that parents always worry about there kids and it is better to be safe than sorry.
Macayla · April 17, 2012 at 5:10 am
Got my vote… Really liked how you worded your letter
Macayla · April 17, 2012 at 5:16 am
Vote number 2 goes here too. I think this letter would be a great community flyer for folks that might be looking for others to prep with. It really mad me think aobut what I do in my daily routine that really is prepping.
Macayla · April 17, 2012 at 5:16 am
Vote # 3
Macayla · April 17, 2012 at 5:18 am
vote 4
Macayla · April 17, 2012 at 5:18 am
5th vote goes here too.
terri · April 25, 2012 at 2:00 am
ok I gots to vote for myself …#1 vote goes to me!
terri · April 25, 2012 at 2:01 am
Vote #2 goes to me Again.
terri · April 25, 2012 at 2:02 am
Ok this is getting to funny I am not sure if I can just say all 5 of my votes go to myself so here goes # 3 TO….. ME!
terri · April 25, 2012 at 2:03 am
4th vote goes to….. ME
terri · April 25, 2012 at 2:04 am
5 th and final vote goes to ME…
Elias · April 25, 2012 at 2:06 am
Really like how this letter was witten it really makes alot of sense and I want to cast my first vote here
Elias · April 25, 2012 at 2:11 am
Being a father of 2 I have always worked very hard to give them the best but I neer thought about it in the sense of Prepping.
Vote #2
Elias · April 25, 2012 at 2:12 am
I am going to give my 3rd vote here as well. Good Luck.
Elias · April 25, 2012 at 2:12 am
number 4 vote here to.
Elias · April 25, 2012 at 2:13 am
giving my 5th and final vote here..
Tamie · April 26, 2012 at 10:47 am
You got my vote
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