Bringing the kids along . . .

[Michelle in Ga]

Good for you for being so astute, so young. I've been working on my Dad and stepmom some. They are taking
thier GREAT VACATION in November. I have put off yacking thier ears off with too much info until they get back.
I gave MATT"S book to my BIL. He put it in his bathroom, where he apparently does all his serious reading. I think
it's a place of honor. chuckle chuckle. I would encourage the familiarity with firearms or take up hunting as a "hobby".
Whatever works for you northern folks. Katrina showed us how fast society can crumble into chaos. DO NOT forget
this. Let thier deaths and pain mean something of value to you,me and everyone. Plan on protecting yourself, your
food,your life and dignity. And if having kids isn't right for you, that's OK. You can be an auntie,big sister etc. Goog luck.
Michelle

[natasha]

It's not just parents that are reluctant to accept PO.  I gave a presentation on it for my Transportation Engineering class a year or so back and I got comments that basically were "we don't want to hear this."  I pretty much gave on up trying to talk to people because they dismissed me as being the conspiracy theorist person.

Luckily, I have a boyfriend who doesn't think I am crazy (at least with respect to PO  ). Eventually, we want to build an off the grid home, hopefully out in the "country" with a lot of acreage. Unfortunately, we are both recent college grads and it may take some time. In the meantime we are learning what we can.  We both know how to use his rifle and I encourage him to stock up on ammo. We definitely want to have kids someday.  We would rather the Earth was repopulated with sensible, intelligent people.   

[willers]

Hi everyone. We have a 9 y/o son and we have lightly discussed this issue with him. He doesn't think about it much in his own little kid world, but when we do things like buy 2-person saws and fruit trees instead of video games and pizza, he has a point of reference for his frustration.

Everyone handles this issue differently, especially kids. I actually wrote an article about how to help kids understand peak oil:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/44675/peak_oil_preparedness_and_your_family.html

Basically, the younger ones can be enticed by the novelty and romance of living like Little House on the Prairie someday. Older ones, and those who argued that the Easter Bunny is not real at the age of 5, can hear the truth in doses appropriate for their age. Give a little info in a positive way, then back off for a while. Then give a little more, perhaps related to something you're doing at the time (canning, planting, etc.) and back off again unless they keep asking questions.

You know your kids best, you'll know what they can handle by judging their reactions. Take it slow, they don't need to read The Long Emergency or LATOC. That's your job.

We'll get through this.

[klabris]

Luckily my kid is young and still will be when TSHTF. She will probably never know anything else. I bet she will become alot tougher than we (her parents) are. That is a little encouraging in fact. That she will grow up outside this rotten, consumerist society.

Torjus Gaaren

Your statement doesn't make any sense.
You are part of the "rotten consumer society" purely OUT OF YOUR OWN CHOICE. There are plenty of sustainable communities out there that you could join if you really wanted to, peak oil or no peak oil.