Getting your SO involved or at least not thinking you're batpoo crazy

So, I'm a noob prepper, but I do know a LOT about S hitting the F and the importance of being ready. My wife, who is a conservative Kansas girl, is like 99 percent of everyone....has never contemplated the world outside her little bubble or contemplated the grim possibilities, let alone contemplated having a plan in place. So, when I recently embarked upon my prepper voyage, she admitted that I have good sensibilities, but still eyes me warily and thinks I'm looney.

I'm not hurt by it, but I would sure like her to be involved on some level. I understand why we are viewed by the world as nuts....because that's how people are conditioned by the world in which we live--a world of convenience and insulation from all the bad things. But it baffles me that we're the crazy ones. By that logic, why don't they consider it looneytoons to purchase home, life, and car insurance?

Anyways, I just wondered what you all face on the homefront. Are you going it alone on behalf of your loved ones and getting the weird eyeball when the UPS guy drops off another box of mylar bags and o2 absorbers? Or have you been able to get your SO to jump in with you to some extent? Like I said, it doesn't offend my sensibilities, but it just doesn't seem like something I really want to do by myself.

This is my first post and I am glad to be here.

 

Here's an older thtread that might help

Why Prep?

 

I too appear to going it alone. though the wife like to use my canned veggies in whatever soup she is making at the time.

 

Good answer, Witch Doc....logic has always been my sharpest weapon. It was real funny when she said to me a couple of weeks ago, "I probably won't think you're crazy when what you say is going to happen actually does, but for now, don't expect me to think you are completely normal"

 

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

When you know bad things happen, and fail to learn from it, who's the crazy one?

 

That quote ALWAYS been a standard in my toolbox. I guess I just shouldn't care one way or another. As long as no one is stopping me....

 

Mrs Sneaky has been on board the prepping since the mid 90's when we went through several severe winter storms, lost power and almost ran out of groceries because floods took out some of the roads and bridges in our neighborhood.

 

Nothing teaches like necessity.

 

I dont mention prepping to anyone anymore. Im just getting a garden started for a hobby. I keep extra food on hand to save trips to the store.

Dont know why, but its clear that were headed for some sort of depression at BEST, but preppers are all a bunch of nut cases.

 

I your wife isn't getting on board, then you married a sheep and have multiple choices; either herd the sheep, trade the sheep for something of value, or just feed it and pretend it is a puppy.

 

Jim....Some sheep are trainable....just have to find the right conditioning rewards and incentives....and then one may have a sheep who'll stand watch with you against the gremlins and whatever else comes your way.

 

I would recommend patience. My wife went from thinking I was a nut job 8 years ago to asking me (a week or two ago) if I had enough enough smokeless powder. And she asked that knowing that I have at least 10k rounds in my closet.

Do what you've got to do, try not to get drunk and rail about the end of the world, and she'll probably come around after some event. The big one for my wife was hurricane Irene. Now she always thinks we should have more food, more gas, a bigger generator...

 

Nah, she's a good one....probably just need to get her used to the idea.

 

slow and steady. Im having to deal with the same thing, with my parents who are older and VERY set in thier ways. (we eat dinner at 445pm sharp) DAILY. small baby steps and instead of getting one or 2 items, get 3 or 4 my parents think i am "extreme and worrying unnecessarily" but when i mention what happened after 4-27-2011 tornados, and the supplies i had on hand, plus some other "extras" i say we prepare now, for the inevitable, and if something happens we are ready... this year is the first garden we've done in 20+ years.

 

I basically am the only one in our home. Though if a project involves tools, building etc.. my husband will jump in with both feet and go above and beyond. I have scaled back on my speaking of what I am doing because the youngest became highly concerned. To change from one life to a more independent life is a big change. When we first started it was hog wild, all over the board, that was scary for a child because it was unknown what we were preparing for. Now it is a steady increase, learning all the way. I think in a majority of the household out there that usually one spouse is thinking today, tomorrow, next month, next year.

 

That's how it's done !

 

Read the 299 Days series. The author is/was in the same boat and speaks at great length how to deal with it.

In fact, if you're new to prepping, I would highly recommend this series--it goes from soup to nuts as far as being Joe Nobody to prepper.

 

I'll go ahead an give away some of the book I suggested above: for a while, you might have to do your prepping in secret. According to Tate, it is his JOB to take care of his family, even with his wife being resistant. This doesn't mean that he gives up, it means he gets creative and does his prepping without her consent with the hope that when SHTF, she will be thankful that she has food to eat when no one does. Regardless, he's not going to let his kids starve or be a victim--it's about being independent OR not relying on the govt. to support you.

One way to make her see the light is to introduce "normalcy bias" and let her read about Argentina or Zimbabwe--heck, look what's going on in Greece. Life as we know it changed on Nov. 6, 2012 and they won't go back. Our way of life is on borrowed time...being independent will lessen the blow from the new normal.

But, this is just keeping this stuff from your wife. Don't forget to also not advertise your new hobby to anyone else--around here, we call this OPSEC.

How to make a prepper OPSEC plan

 

When my wife was pregnant with our second boy, we had a 4 days without power during a bad snow storm. After seeing things like Katrina and now Hurricane Sandy and the potential for far reaching, catastrophic effects; I swore that I would let my family have a significant fighting chance. 4 days with no power and a pregnant wife was pretty scary..