Practice - Good Habits

Good habits are really just reflexes to guide your daily living. But in a disaster they can be what save your life or that of your kids.

—       Chores – these teach survival skills, and personal responsibility. Survival is a family effort. Now is the time to teach them those skills not while you’re not stressed out. Here are some links to help get you started and your kids motivated.

·          www.dltk-cards.com/chart/ - custom charts for free

·          www.chorechart.net – part of freeprintables.net also free

—       Cleanliness – Be sure to explain to your kids you're not just making them do this because you want to make their lives miserable or because you like having a clean house, but because this is a safety issue.

·        Putting shoes away in a central location – you need shoes to get outside or would you rather crawl around on glass looking for them

·        A clean room is a clear exit for a quick and safe escape in the case of a fire, and in an earthquake it may just lessen the debris

·        A clean room and home also decrease fuel for fire (a likely hazard after any disaster even floods)

—       Obedience – they need to learn that your instructions are important and for their safety. And you need to be able to trust that they will follow through so you can be free to prepare or take care of other things. Be specific in explaining this.

—       Self-control – fighting and tantrums are going to be an added source of stress in a disaster, do what you can to teach them now how to use indoor voices, resolve conflicts, and handle frustration and disappointment.

As parents we strive hard to teach good habits to our children, but sometimes we forget to explain thir importance and worth to our children. In helping them understand why these habits are important we help them internalize them. So if you're not enforcing with zeal now is the time to start.