The Library Podcast: Recent Episodes
Shane Goldsberry
The Library Podcast brings established and newly published authors into contact with listeners to share their stories on how they help others through their writing.
In this episode I discuss positive versus negative groups of men and how to find the former.
In this episode I discuss what to do when you seem to be alone in the beginning of a new endeavor.
You’ve seen it before: the operator meme about protecting your loved ones, the action hero who rescues his daughter from kidnappers, on and on. For the past century, a point has been made to depict children as completely and utterly defenseless, able only to cower in the background as the adults do all the hard work. Though I’m not a huge fan of The Walking Dead series past season two, I do like the way that Carl was portrayed in the show, having to do hard, adult things, getting into the thick of it because he HAD to. To me, that’s pretty realistic, zombies aside.
There are many advocates out there for training yourself and your family, or tribe, but I have yet to come across many advocates for training your children. When SHTF, who do you think is going to be with you, fighting to survive? Realistically, you aren’t going to have time to gather your buddies and build a fort in your neighborhood. You’re going to have to hunker down with your family or make a run for it with them. And if your family involves children, they NEED to know how to behave in these stressful situations.
We’ve been training our children in numerous ways since our youngest was three. We hike, we ruck (yes, each boy carries their own pack), we cook, we build, we repair, we shoot, all of it, with our children. I would need multiple hands to count the times I’ve come across our boys helping their friends fix bikes, skateboards, and other toys without needing direction. They’ve already done it with mom and dad. They can track most wild animals and shoot with confidence. We even patrol together and practice small group tactics. They assist in basic first aid, know how to find dry firewood, and can fish almost better than me.
The point is, in a SHTF situation, my wife and I can count on our children to pull their weight. This will make a dramatic difference and relieves us of the added pressure of having to carry them. I cannot stress enough how important it is to train with your children. And even your animals, especially your dog. If your dog isn’t gun trained and you plan to keep them with you during SHTF, then get them gun trained NOW. You cannot rely on someone or something that is not prepared.
For thousands of years, our ancestors trained their children to be warriors. They didn’t wait until they turned sixteen or became an adult. No, they started training them from an early age, sometimes even from birth. They knew that children are capable of more than they seem and that a soft child is a weak adult. Weak adults are a danger to the tribe.
The men and women these children became were formidable and incomparable to what we have become today. In order to full change this cycle, we need to train our children. Involve them in what you’re doing. Talk to them about why you’re doing it and why it’s important for them to learn. Get them comfortable being uncomfortable.
When SHTF, you need to be able to rely on every asset you have. Your children are an asset, and your legacy. Train them accordingly.