No support from spouse

[MadMamaBear]

Has anyone had to deal with an unsupportive spouse, and were you able to convince them of the necessity of preparing?

 

[jontte]

sorry,no help from here as I prep alone.
are you prepping just in general or to some specific disaster?

 

[bigpaul]

not a problem in our house.

 

[MadMamaBear]

I am really just starting out, but in the long term I would like to prep for as many scenarios as possible. I live in Tornado Alley, and we do have some earthquakes, though nothing major. So I'd like to get prepared for those.

 

[bigpaul]

prepare for the most obvious events first.

 

[jontte]

well,you could use some though love, next time you experience a tornado and something goes wrong,leave your spouse without supplies for a while,
while you take care of the rest of the pack,then ask; do you wanna get in with this or not??

 

[MadMamaBear]

prepare for the most obvious events first.

Thanks bigpaul. I already have a BIB for tornadoes. And a cache of food and water that's easily accessible, but not likely to be affected by the tornado. That's my most likely, every year.

 

[MadMamaBear]

well,you could use some though love, next time you experience a tornado and something goes wrong,leave your spouse without supplies for a while,
while you take care of the rest of the pack,then ask; do you wanna get in with this or not??

I might just do that, jontte.

 

[KateMTx]

Does your significant other understand the necessity of prepping for a tornado? It sounds like that's the best place to start for y'all. If they are not willing to be on board even for that I'm not sure they can be convinced.

 

[DrPrepper]

Just do it yourself. The next time you have some emergency or minor emergency, you will be prepared and you can just mention the joys of being prepared

 

[MadMamaBear]

Thank you all for your advice. I'll be trying some of these for sure.

 

[KateMTx]

Just do it yourself. The next time you have some emergency or minor emergency, you will be prepared and you can just mention the joys of being prepared

That's how I've gotten my family. Only a few know the extent of what I try to get ready for, but they all know I have a first aid kit, a bottle of water, a snack, or a sewing kit handy at all times. It gets annoying sometimes but I just tell them it's about being prepared.

 

[Petoski]

They probaly need to experience a minor disaster to understand. Giving real world examples of when it would have been good to prepare may work. My girlfriend isn't convinced of prepping beyond having enough food and power. I have tried explaining that she might have to leave the house and trek. Then she thought we would be treking together until i explained to her my B.O.B was only for me and if she wanted to come she would have to build her own bag and lose weight so she wouldn't slow me down. I gave up on trying to convince friends and family. If shit hits the fan I won't be letting them have any supplies as they have had ample warning.

 

[MadMamaBear]

That's how I've gotten my family. Only a few know the extent of what I try to get ready for, but they all know I have a first aid kit, a bottle of water, a snack, or a sewing kit handy at all times. It gets annoying sometimes but I just tell them it's about being prepared.

Ironically, my 11 yr old son is also very interested in prepping. A direct result of his anxiety, and if he has prepared or helped prepare, it eases some of his anxiety.

 

[bigpaul]

wife's cousin is one of those, when I try to discuss being prepared with him he just says "its not going to happen so lets just not talk about it", so we don't, we cant help everybody.

 

[MadMamaBear]

Tried to ask him why he didn't want to talk about it, he said the same, and when I asked what about a major natural disaster, he said that I already figured all that out, so he didn't need to worry about it. He doesn't seem to understand, that, even though I have already prepped for a little event, there's more to do, and I'll need his help.

 

[bigpaul]

some people just don't want to know, they think life will go on as it is for ever and ever, but that's just silly.

 

[KateMTx]

some people just don't want to know, they think life will go on as it is for ever and ever, but that's just silly.

It's like the ostrich sticking its head in the sand. If I can't see it/don't think about it, it won't happen/doesn't exist.

 

[Brent S]

I have finally figured out that most people allready have their minds made up for themselves. You can point out the benefits of prepping to some and they might see the idea as less crazy than they did before, but I think most of us learn the hard way. I have been through several hurricanes and power outages from storms. I know first hand how much it sucks to try to sleep in the Deep South with no AC in the summertime. I know it sucks when the faucet dosent work and you didn’t have an alternative source of water. I have just taken steps to minimize the inconvenience of these hiccups in our easy modern lifestyles. I like having coffee in the mornings, and really like knowing that I can still enjoy all these little comforts that I’m used to even during most challenging times. My wife and son thought I was overboard with the whole being prepared thing at first, but with the few power outages and storms that they have been through, they understand now the benefits.

 

[bigpaul]

It's like the ostrich sticking its head in the sand. If I can't see it/don't think about it, it won't happen/doesn't exist.

that's exactly it, its so horrendous a thing for them to think about so they don't, if they don't then it wont happen.....they think.
mostly they live for today, tomorrow hasnt happened yet, so they don't prepare or think about it.