With three children under age 10, my husband and I think a lot about what post-Y2K life will be like. What do you think will happen with schools? And what about the ability to make "playdates" -- now that many families are heading to more rural settings where homes are farther apart?

It's hard to imagine children will feel as happy as we do about getting them out of harm's way when it means that they are isolated.

What are you doing -- or planning to do -- to help your children make the adjustment?

-- Sara Nealy (saran@ptd.net), November 24, 1998

Answers

start now. have regular y2k drills, but if you have small kids, call it "playing pioneer". boys like that stuff anyways, as do girls who enjoy the American dolls and the "little house on the prairie" books and tv series. buy them the books.

my drills are planned to be "family games night" with no electricity . we will have cards, board games, heat and light off-grid, snacks cooked off-grid. if it's enjoyable, even the teenagers will do it, especially if you make attendance mandatory.

-- Jocelyne Slough (jonslough@tln.net), November 24, 1998.

Hi Sara, My husband and I have four children from 13 to 3 yrs. old. We are also concerned about what the transition will be like for them. They have all been helping me package food into buckets and carry them to the cellar. My 3yo helped me de-bug my rice today, she thought it was so much fun picking those dead critters out :-)

I am buying lots of writing paper, const. paper, pencils, glue, beads and string, simple craft items, boon-doggle (sp?), am trying to teach my 13yo to crochet because I bought 100% cotton yarn for making my own dish cloths and figured it was a good way to spend our time plus they will be a necessity! Probably will get some material scraps for small hand sewn projects. Lots of books too. I think we will all learn what really counts in life through all this - family, neighbors, etc. Think we will all learn some good yet hard lessons.

One of my biggest concerns is to not scare the kids with all the y2k talk. When we first learned about y2k (3mts ago), I could not sleep, my mind constantly raced with all the preparation I needed to do. Now we do them more as a family and I am not so wound up. It helps to share ideas with my husband. Mary

-- Mary Howe (doesnotmatter@thistime.com), November 24, 1998.

My little one loves loading rifle ammo, we spend most of out famly time loading rounds of ammo. HE HE

-- Ron (mongo@earthling.net), November 25, 1998.

Your question asks "What are you doing-or planning to do, to help your children make the adjustment?" It calls another question to mind that a man once asked Jesus- "Who is my neighbor?" Who are "my children"? It absolutely terrifies me to imagine being the helpless child of parents who did not know or prepare for Y2K. Will unprepared parents decide a child alone has a better chance to find someone willing to feed him? (Unthreatening to those who might fear adults) The prospect of millions my children suffering makes me wonder how we can at least provide for them, if not for everyone.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 26, 1998.

# # # 19981126 -- Happy Thanksgiving!

Sara,

You might want to check out this site by Karen Anderson < mailto:karen@y2kwomen.com >:

From the "Y2K Women -- For Women Only" Web site ...

Being Prepared: Answers to Common Questions

11. What do I tell the children?

You might be thinking, "I don't want to make my children paranoid and afraid by talking about blackouts, shortages, and home intruders. They'll wonder why we're storing food and water. I don't want them to worry that there won't be enough to live on."

One way to handle it, with children who are old enough to understand, is to explain in simple terms what the Y2K problem is by comparing it to something they understand, like a crashed computer (if they know about computers) or a broken appliance. Make preparations, and then tell them, "There's no need to be worried or afraid, because we are doing something to keep ourselves safe. We have enough food, enough water, and a safe house."

If your children know you're taking action to ensure their survival, it will make them more secure, not less so. They don't have to worry about an uncertain future because they know you're taking steps to provide for them. You've probably taught your children to take precautions, such as unplugging electrical equipment when they're around water. Does that make them more paranoid about getting shocked or starting a fire? Of course not! It teaches them that taking precautions and showing some forethought prevents bad things from happening. In the same way, storing water, food, and fuel, and having an escape route helps to prevent bad things from getting worse if a disaster should come your way.

Showing your children how to escape from the house in the event of a fire or robbery won't make them paranoid. If anything, it will empower them with a sense of security and confidence that they'll know what to do in case those things ever did happen. Children learn about robberies, fires, and natural disasters from television, movies, magazines, and other children. They may already have a fear of fires and "bad guys." You won't be able to conceal from them the reality of those things. But you will be able to put their fear in perspective and say, "If something like that ever happened at our house, here's what we would do." Children feel comforted knowing they're part of a family that has a plan. It's far better for children to have a realistic idea of what to do in an actual situation than to be misled by inaccurate or sensational portrayals of disasters that they've seen on TV or in the movies. It could mean the difference between family survival and unnecessary tragedy.

# # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), November 26, 1998.

# # # 19981126 -- Happy Thanksgiving!

From the "Y2K Women -- For Women Only" Web site ...

www.y2kwomen.com/faqs/faq11.html

Regards, Bob Mangus # # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), November 26, 1998.