What skills do you have.....

[cozietoesie]

.....in your family? Or are lacking and need to develop them?

It occurred to me a number of times, recently, that I may be the last person in my own family that has ever milked a cow by hand. The current youngsters would most likely spend a couple of days during any difficulty checking their mobiles for signal and would then start rushing around and faffing.

Compared to, for example, my great grandfather who could have kept on going in the event of most things - because he was actually more on top of his living, hard though it was.

Are you raising your own DCs to be able to do practical things?

The survival mom page has a free download section of all the practical skills a prepper could have and its amazing. Check her out shes amazing. You can also find the survival mom on facebook.
The organic prepper also has some good articles on her blog (Although both are american its still a good read)

Right:
Sow
I've learnt crochet and knitting, although it's mostly forgotten, but I think I could pick up the needles and some thread and do something wearable.
Macramé (same).
I could build a basic loom.
Electricity wiring, and could probably both a generator and the reverse (whatever it's called) - it's all about coiled wires and magnets.
Basic plumbing.
Basic carpentry.
Basic pottery.
Basic glass work.
Cooking.
Baking.
Fishing (I know some techniques).
Bivalve picking.
Grow veg (although somewhat hit and miss).
Cut hair.
Basic chemistry and physics - enough to solve quite a few problems.
Making traps for small animals and birds.
Kill and skin small animals (never did the killing, though)
Keep chickens and rabbits.
Also cats.
Can handle dogs.
Orientation - can use a compass, read a map and I have a good sense of orientation.
Never tried starting a fire without matches or a lighter, but I think I could master it.
Could make and manage a small barbecue.
I can identify different rocks and they're best used for. Also aware of basic ancient rock cutting techniques and transport.
Oh, and hand to hand combat skills.

That's a powerful list, Lweji, and things which often feed into one another. To me, the actual doing is as important as the 'knowing how to do' though. It seems to encourage a practical, problem-solving approach to life. It sounds as though you might have that.

OK, I am not great, but I could manage:
Build and start and keep a fire (I keep matches dry with silica gel sachets but also have, and am getting slightly more successful at using, a flint stick)
Gather and cut wood
Cook on said fire - or on normal cooking appliances indoors, BBQ, single ring gas stove etc
Grow vegetables
Gather rainwater and purify it of large bits using tights (I need water purifying tablets - but I think I may have some basic bleach if I am stuck)
Knit, machine sew, hand sew
Bodge repairs (I'm not an engineer or mechanic - but have done reasonable fixes in the past and have a decent toolbox)
Set up transport systems - foot, bicycle, figure out public transport if still functioning depending on the disaster, row a boat
Deal with various weather conditions (my worst is sunny dry heat - I love dealing with snow!)
Map read and navigate
Foraging on land and seashore
Clean and gut fish
Deal with medical emergencies (occy first aider)
Store food longer term (as well as freezing - drying, chutnies, jams, pickling etc)
Support others around me

In theory, I could
Fish
Trap animals
Butcher animals
Keep chickens (have minded DMILs a few times)
Build a shelter
Rescue a drowning victim

I am going to learn sailing next week and I am due to learn powerboating too soon. Not as disaster skills but they could be useful (we do live near the sea).

I am a "Be Prepared" type of gal, and in theory should manage even in an apocalypse, but I am not confident I would entirely. But I know I would manage most "normal" emergency situations that lots of people around me seem to have problems with.

I think that that could well be enough. Anything else would probably give you sufficient thinking time to develop the existing skills you have. (Or be so out of your ken that there would be little point.)

Probably got the skills to build a house and rebuild a car, Electrical electronics plumbing You name it I can probably do it. If not there's always Google / YouTube!
I can also sew fish shoot trap grow.
Not sue about making fuel but know how to brew and distil so there's always that option
All I need is a nice wood to retreat into and you'd never see me again.

Most crisis situations would mean no internet, fuzzy - so no Google or YouTube. (But the rest sounds good. )

And brewing and distilling is excellent barter territory!

We have a reasonable selection of skills though most fall on me despite trying to educate the others

Can manage most vehicle and mechanical repairs or effect a working bodge
Reasonable amount of engineering and mechanical tasks and making things from scratch
Plumbing basics
Electrical basics
Welding
Hunting, shooting, skinning, gutting and butchering
Tree surgery and chainsaw use both on ground and climbing
Veg growing is soon to be started again
Chicken keeping is now under way
Also want to try aquaponics which we will be starting within the next month hopefully

Sure there are a few more to the list but too much wine with tea has slowed the mind somewhat

....despite me trying to educate the others....

Have you come across the '3 day thing' yet?

(I was coming out of a movie with one of the family youngsters and was asked 'How would you recommend we survive in a crisis?' I swept into my best 'Get out of the city and keep moving' scenario and was told - 'Oh No. You only have to find a place to stay safe for 3 days and then They come and get you.'.......

He wouldn't be swayed on it either. He couldn't usefully explain to me who They were - except that they seem poised to save the day in times of trouble. (This is a youngster of semi-mature years so it's the sort of grown up crisis equivalent of having an 'adventure' camping in the back garden, I guess.)

Ah yes, no internet!

I have a reasonable selection of books, in hard copy, on self-sufficiency and DIT/repair skills for emergency use. And I have printed, as well as saved on the computer, lots of scouting skills resources (for Cubs but useful if there actually is an emergency).

Can cook indoors and out on gas, or do wood fires.

Battery and 1 solar light, loads of candles.

Battery powered radio for news.

Have water. And food/other supplies.

And bicycles.

The decision would need to be about whether to stay put or GTFOut!

Yes.Timing.There are so many variables............

I think as long as I'm with dp I'll be fine, he once accidentally delivered a baby, he's pretty clever when it comes to medications and can do diy pretty efficiently. He can also shoot and dive. And start a fire, but without him I think I'd be a bit screwed, I really need to step up my game.

You may well have picked up more than you realise. Join in with his activities?

Oh I will be, he went into great detail about the delivering a baby thing so I think I would love to do that be able to do it if no one else could. He's going to teach me how to make things out of wood and were going to make a rocket stove together. The kids have catapults for xmas so were going to be doing a touch of target practice in the garden.

Hmm I can do basic medical stuff like suture wounds, flush an abscess, administer IV fluids, and I have keys to the vet surgery so in an emergency I could help myself to meds and equipment from there (there is one other member of staff who lives nearer than I do so this is assuming she doesn't clear the place out first!).
I can milk a cow although I don't know where I'd find one!
I can ride and care for a horse.
My house is full of fishing equipment which is my dad's but I'm sure he wouldn't mind me taking some. I've never tried skinning/butchering an animal but I've done enough dissections to know I'd have the stomach for it and can identify the organs etc. I can cook on an open fire and have plenty of camping equipment in the garage including OS maps of our area, compasses, a flint and tinder, lots of battery powered lights and a gas stove with some spare canisters. No water purifiers though.

Animal husbandry would likely be massive in the event of a longish trouble. In any case, it's a good thing to know and practice in any event.

Sewing, knitting, and reading an ordinary map (with a compass) surely this doesn't count as "prep skills", do they?

I know someone who lost their only pair of glasses onboard an airplane to the US (they got jammed and cracked when she flipped up her chair or teh tray or something). She's got an extra spare pair now, but that too surely doesn't count as "prep skills"? It's just common sense.

Oh Yes. They count as 'skills', I think. Especially if they're practiced regularly.

As to eye-glasses? Common sense it may seem to be only but then most of 'prepping' is just common sense preparedness - to me, anyway. Could she operate fully without glasses? ( And there won't really be any glasses knocking around in the event of ........difficulties.)