# Opsec & kids ?????



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm wondering how you all handle this?

I've read on various websites that you and your spouse should be the only ones that know aboot your food stores. But in our house that wouldn't even be realistic.

My oldest is 10. He knows and understands what we are doing. He's reasonably mature for his age and is my right hand man. Now his buddy was over the other day and made some statements aboot his dad filling juice containers with water and putting them in the basement. This peaked my interest and I suppose this would have went over the heads of non preppers but it got me to asking him some questions. It turns out his dad is a full blown prepper. He fills buckets with "ballon" material:laugh: in them with rice and has room to store them.

The cat is pretty well out of bag there.

Another question is how do I approach him to discuss prepping without just telling him that the cat is out of the bags.

He is 1 of 2 people that I know that prep.


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

PackerBacker said:


> I'm wondering how you all handle this?
> 
> I've read on various websites that you and your spouse should be the only ones that know aboot your food stores. But in our house that wouldn't even be realistic.
> 
> ...


His son has a big mouth, just tell him so he can get his house in order before someone finds out who doesn't have food for them and theirs and good intentions.

One of the real problems with NatGeos #1 show, Doomsday Preppers, is that it has effectively shared with a large portion of the country the profile of a prepper. Which is not good for OpSec, to say the least.

I bet your son's friend's dad is oblivious to the loose lips problem he has, but many kids, not just other preppers, would recognize the signs of a prepper from TV. Personally, I keep food stores largely to myself, although involving your kid in food storage and explaining what is at stake to a more mature child is a viable option. I do make sure that the kids know that other preps like my guns could make us a target of crime and so the can not mention them to others. Make the warning a little scary, because it is, and they will get the idea.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Well... We homeschool so not many opportunities to tell friends about the doom room... But I do tell the kids that people will think we are crazy if they knew. :eyebulge: Working so far...


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

young children are not prepared to be covert. I have seen my own kids placed in a bad light by school teachers who want to put their value system on the kids they teach. It is very easy for a teacher doing current events to highlight something like the Connecticut shooting and ask the kids if they have ever seen guns in their home. Kids will answer truthfully because they have no reason not to trust the teacher. 

If they convert your kids they win. it only takes one generation and the game is over. I would keep my preps a well guarded secret and understand that there or others who revel in making light of what you do. 

My own brother-in-law made fun of us recently when we had a major power outage in the area. They were with us for a week and during that time the power went down for over a day. My wife just brought out the candles and lamps, started the fireplace, set up the Coleman Stoves on the patio and went about business as usual. The first words out of his mouth were "Are you guys a bunch of nut case survivalist?". he found it very funny that we had flashlights with batteries. I did not react to his taunts and barbs. He is also a guy who is afraid to go somewhere unless his wife gives him permission to do it. GB


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

Out you go bye bye


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> young children are not prepared to be covert. I have seen my own kids placed in a bad light by school teachers who want to put their value system on the kids they teach. It is very easy for a teacher doing current events to highlight something like the Connecticut shooting and ask the kids if they have ever seen guns in their home. Kids will answer truthfully because they have no reason not to trust the teacher.
> 
> If they convert your kids they win. it only takes one generation and the game is over. I would keep my preps a well guarded secret and understand that there or others who revel in making light of what you do.
> 
> My own brother-in-law made fun of us recently when we had a major power outage in the area. They were with us for a week and during that time the power went down for over a day. My wife just brought out the candles and lamps, started the fireplace, set up the Coleman Stoves on the patio and went about business as usual. The first words out of his mouth were "Are you guys a bunch of nut case survivalist?". he found it very funny that we had flashlights with batteries. I did not react to his taunts and barbs. He is also a guy who is afraid to go somewhere unless his wife gives him permission to do it. GB


My daughter actually got caught saying Obama lama ding dong in school... The teacher laughed! Cameron was talking about how he isn't doing anything with a budget to her one (and only friend who likes obama)... teacher asked why she would call him that, she said, what idiot would try to run a nation or a business with out a budget? he is a ding dong for trying to, and making my future have less opportunities. Teacher agreed with her...

She is probably the only 13 year old who watches Hannity (sometimes) or likes Eric Ericson talk show...


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We have a single room that contains 90% of our preps, including our guns and ammunition. The room is very s-e-c-u-r-e and no one is allowed into the room without me being present. Even then the room itself has a secondary storage area where bulk items are concealed and number of safes where arms and munitions are concealed. I am not a open book type of person in the first place and my kids all seem to share that trait. They have all grown up in an operationally secure environment because of my chosen career, so expanding that to cover prepping was not hard at all. The youngest kids have never been in the man cave and won't until they are old enough to understand why we have the room and its contents. All my children are raised to be obedient and to listen more than they speak. Discussing the room with anyone outside of our family is taboo and doing so could very well knock someone out of the circle of trust. And no one wants to be outside the circle of trust.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> young children are not prepared to be covert. I have seen my own kids placed in a bad light by school teachers who want to put their value system on the kids they teach. It is very easy for a teacher doing current events to highlight something like the Connecticut shooting and ask the kids if they have ever seen guns in their home. Kids will answer truthfully because they have no reason not to trust the teacher.
> 
> If they convert your kids they win. it only takes one generation and the game is over. I would keep my preps a well guarded secret and understand that there or others who revel in making light of what you do.
> 
> My own brother-in-law made fun of us recently when we had a major power outage in the area. They were with us for a week and during that time the power went down for over a day. My wife just brought out the candles and lamps, started the fireplace, set up the Coleman Stoves on the patio and went about business as usual. The first words out of his mouth were "Are you guys a bunch of nut case survivalist?". he found it very funny that we had flashlights with batteries. I did not react to his taunts and barbs. He is also a *guy* who is afraid to go somewhere unless his wife gives him permission to do it. GB


You're using the term "guy" very loosely here. :scratch


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

When I was very young it was explained to me that family matters were to be kept within the family. If I decided not to keep quiet about family matters then I would no longer be privy to them. I very much wanted to be included. Guns were not taboo back then but had they been I would have been instructed to reply "no" to any inquiries about guns at home.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I think it is a great question, have thought about it a lot myself. 
One of the things that made me think differently was seeing a program that was being pushed up here a few years ago telling kids that "ALL secrets were bad". I truly believe it was a well intentioned program aimed at preventing abuse but it certainly made me reconsider a few things to see kids pushed to tell every "secret" to someone outside of their family. 
Most of the things we have are pretty easy to explain, we are big into sustainability and self-reliance and that explains the majority of what we have without any further questions. 
The guns are always just explained as needed on a farm and for hunting, and "so and so's from the war" 
There are really only a couple things that aren't explained by our lifestyle (anything related to radiation might be a tough sell, except masks, those are easy) so those I keep specifically out of sight.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

couple of current reasons to up charge your OPSEC .... especially concerning your kids

the schools and everything associated with kids is in overload about guns .... and to the leftiest >>>>>> prepping equals guns .... the last thing you want is some buzy body filing child endangerment charges against you .... and they will !!!!!

another aspect of loose lips flinging your prepping plans around ..... your average street crook .... more than ever, it's common knowledge preppers have goodies around the house .... guns, ammo, precious metals, outdoor gear, radios, tools ect ect .....


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> young children are not prepared to be covert. I have seen my own kids placed in a bad light by school teachers who want to put their value system on the kids they teach. It is very easy for a teacher doing current events to highlight something like the Connecticut shooting and ask the kids if they have ever seen guns in their home. Kids will answer truthfully because they have no reason not to trust the teacher.
> 
> If they convert your kids they win. it only takes one generation and the game is over.


Of course, your post (which I think is correct) does suggest that perhaps keeping your kids in the public indoctrination camps (aka gun free public schools) is in it self a prepping issue. As a Christian I made that decision a long time ago, that I would not subject my kids to the official atheism of the State, but, I also believe that it becomes harder and harder for most mainstream kids to believe in freedom, personal responsibility, and self-reliance.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

My son was raised around guns (hunting and protection, we have bear probs occasionally), and bro in law was a cop so the kids know to be tight lipped about them. 

As for other preps, we actually encourage the kids to tell their friends to have 'emergency bags' in case the power is out and they need flashlights, extra socks or an impromptu sleepover. They don't know ALL of our preps, but they do enjoy learning to sew and cook.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

dixiemama said:


> My son was raised around guns (hunting and protection, we have bear probs occasionally), and bro in law was a cop so the kids know to be tight lipped about them.
> 
> As for other preps, we actually encourage the kids to tell their friends to have 'emergency bags' in case the power is out and they need flashlights, extra socks or an impromptu sleepover. They don't know ALL of our preps, but they do enjoy learning to sew and cook.


The sleepover bit is a good 'reason'. I'll have to remember that for Roo.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

I basically just try not to make a big deal about it. The less attention they pay to it the less inclined it is to stick in their minds and become a topic of conversation. As to food stores I pack the buckets when they are gone with their dad. They no I have guns and shoot them somtimes but they also can see the little vanity plaques and awards and pics of me competeing so the guns are my "toys" I reload because when I was competeing you need to shoot alot to stay in shape and it's cheaper if you reload. My other preps are my 'camping gear" or my Millitary Memories. I just play it down and same to anyone else. while I do still push folks to get at least basic preparedness. I push folks to use their right to CCW, Have fod and water on hand for emergencies, and bring up topics of conversation designed to make them think about bad things that happen other places and how it resembles what is going on here now. So Most would see me as being Ready they have NO IDEA how ready. And I of course confide fully in my fiance and she is definitely on board and is squared away with security.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Well the sleepover thing happened bc in 2009, the power was out for 2 weeks. My sis in law had no way to keep her kids warm so my husband crawled the road btwn her house and our in 4 wheel drive. Normal time is an hour, it took almost 4 to get there and back. My sis in law was packing 3 kids by flashlight and didn't get half of what she wanted. After that, they always have a bag packed. It's what got us started.


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