Why You Should Teach Your Children Survival Skills
We live in strange times. The fact that I’m even writing such an article is proof positive that these are indeed very strange times. For probably the first time in the history of the human race, most parents never even think about teaching their children the most basic skills needed to survive on this planet. We live among millions of adult humans who themselves cannot provide food, shelter or water for themselves without hiring it out to someone else.
Now if you are reading this article, I trust you are not one of those adults who posses no basic survival skills. My question for you is, are you teaching your children these skills? I am often surprised to learn that the answer is no. There are many reasons I’ve heard why people neglect to teach these things to their offspring. Some reasons I’ve heard are, “I don’t want to scare them” or “I don’t think they would be interested”. Neither of these reasons hold any water at all. You owe your children more than excuses.
For those worried about scaring their children, I ask you this. What is more scary, living in an uncertain world without the basic skills to survive or being confident that you can provide food, shelter and water for yourself no matter the circumstances? Having basic preparedness skills makes the world a much less scary place! Children taught basic survival skills are confident, empowered people who will excel in life; no matter what life throws their way. They become problem solvers who can think outside the box. One word that I wouldn’t use to describe such a person is “scared”.
For those who think their children wouldn’t be interested, I don’t think you know children very well. Children have not yet been taught that they are a cog in the industrial wheel. They have a natural yearning to learn how to survive. I have never met a child who didn’t love going into the woods and building a shelter from scratch, starting a fire, trapping some meat, cooking on an open fire, or exploring the natural world. It is exciting, exhilarating, and fun.
The biggest reason, of course, that we must teach or children these things is the fact that we live in very uncertain times. We live in a world that is built on ponzi schemes, lies, wars, an aging power grid, and a just in time delivery system that is extremely vulnerable. The modern world is like a crazy episode of the Twilight Zone, millions of people with no useful skills, crammed into unsustainable cities acting as pawns for corrupt governments. You owe it to your children to make them into people who are not dependent on the system and have the ability to rise above it. You must ask the question, do you want your offspring to be among the casualties of the inevitable collapse or do you want them to survive and rebuild a better world grounded in reality?
Another reason to teach your children how to survive is that of freedom. Do you want your children to be free men or slaves? To be truly free, one needs to end their dependency on those who wish to control them. Consider the wise words of Wendall Berry…
A person dependent on somebody else for everything from potatoes to opinions may declare that he is a free man, and his government may issue a certificate granting him his freedom, but he will not be free. He is that variety of specialist known as a consumer, which means that he is the abject dependent of producers. How can he be free if he can do nothing for himself? What is the First Amendment to him whose mouth is stuck to the tit of the “affluent society”? Men are free precisely to the extent that they are equal to their own needs. The most able are the most free.
At the end of the day, your children deserve to know how to survive. If you posses these skills it is your responsibility to pass them down. If you don’t have these skills, it is your responsibility to learn them and teach them to your offspring. All of my children have the skills to survive. They can build fires and shelters, harvest wild game, forage for plants and berries, plant a garden and a host of other valuable skills. If I die tomorrow, I will go to the grave confident that my offspring can handle whatever is thrown at them. I can rest easy, knowing they will be the ones who own the future, maintain their freedom, and offer the solutions to the problems that will turn the world as we know it upside down. I challenge you to do the same!
Scott M Terry
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You’ve spoken some wise words, Terry! This is what our parents taught us. We have to pass on the knowledge. I love what you are doing with your family and farm and beyond!
What the… really? I don’t want to SCARE my children? I don’t think so. I’m sorry but that sounds like something a progressive liberal would say, but not anyone who knows so much as how to build a decent camp fire. I just don’t believe it.
I hear you, Andrew. Believe it or not I have heard this a number of times. I’ve heard the same response from people who think its weird that my children know about government corruption or conspiracy. Most of them are recent converts and in case you haven’t noticed, the world isn’t overflowing with common sense right now.
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Where is there a good camp for parents and children (ages 10=11) to learn about
survival? Has anyone gone to a camp to learn survival? Please give your input.
Thanks.
Turtle Island.
Children are often underestimated in their abilities and endurance. Looking at my great grandson and his abilities to absorb everything tossed at him. he will be three years in February. I haven’t found anything he cannot grasp. I estimate his vocabulary at around two hundred words. I believe it is because we use his favorite subject (dinosaurs) to help with his learning. He can even pronounce the multiple syllable names with remarkable accuracy. we encourage the use of both hands for everyday use such as eating or drawing and he can toss a ball with ether hand. We bought him a tent that wasnt for kids but he can set it up by himself. We are working on knots and he is starting to get the hang of that too. Our children can do anything we allow them to do. With adult supervision they can be a valuable asset. I know I am a grampa and will brag. I see too many who think their kids cant do things because that is what they are told. If you don’t try you will never know. Because I grew up on a farm and was expected to pull my own weight. We have too many who think if someone helps them out that they are being kind. Until you are not there to do things for them and they fail that kindness can be fatal. Oh and because they try something and cant do it the first time let them practice for the self esteem gained from self reliance is priceless. If it saves their lives even more so. The quality time spent with these children will never be forgotten. Life can be enjoyable if you let it.
Grampa
My son is the Boy Scouts and they recently had a 3 day Survivalist Camp out. The had to make their own shelter, make fire with a lighter or matches, filter water, etc. My son said it was one of the best camp outs he’s had this year.
Awesome. Children really are more capable than most adults assume. And I think they can definitely learn a lot of survival skills. Not saying I’m going to put them to the test, but a good thing to know and practice for that just-in-case thing that you never want your kids to go through.
And besides, kids love learning survival skills. I know.
I grew up in a city and never learned anything like this until I was in college and went camping for the first time to “rough it” with a roommate. I was hooked! And now I taught my kids what little I know and was looking for some new things and I actually loved the idea of living off the land and turning widely available plants into food and medicine (video here: http://bit.ly/2hnpla2). It’s like having the whole world as your grocery store.
Watching the video also made me realize that the stuff we would call emergency and end-of-the-world was considered normal life by folks in the pioneer days and what we call survival skills was probably called common sense back then. lol