This blog is about family preparedness, and of course, sometimes I digress in terms of discussing some of the parts of life which are normal and are expected. Our eldest children were born in my early twenties, and then we had two more in my thirties and then, we adopted a fifth in my forties. I am in my late forties now, and so our two eldest kids are in their twenties. I remember both of my parents being older parents, and when I was a young person I used to think how much more difficult having children older must be than when you are in your twenties. This may have been a factor in our beginning to have children in our twenties. This is interesting now, because now the tables have turned once again, and I have friends my age who have either having, or adopting young children, when my mindset is so clearly beyond those days. It is a bit mind bending to have children in their twenties, and to be in one's late forties, and to still feel and be relatively young oneself. It's funny that I thought that by the time a portion of my kids were grown, that I would somehow "have all the answers". The fact is, that I not only don't have all the answers, but I don't even know all the questions ! I also miss my parents, who have both now passed.
It is not enough to have a home base set up securely here for my husband and myself. We must make sure that our kids have a wide range of preparedness skills and are able to take care of themselves also. This of course, means many things. It means that your children need to be situationally aware. It means that they need to be competent in terms of preparing their own food, maintaining their vehicles, and managing their jobs and their finances. It means they need to know something about first aid and medical care.
This week, our daughter was looking at a small farm she is considering buying, and she asked us to come along to provide input. This was the ultimate in mind bending. Here we are, still relatively young parents, and our daughter is carefully looking at properties she is considering purchasing. In those moments, I remembered so clearly, the day we looked at our own very first home. Much has changed. When we looked at a first home, we were in another state, and we were relegated to only the smallest and least expensive properties as a starter home. Our daughter has remained in our home a bit longer than we did, and has more saved. She is also looking for a home in a period of time in which there are abundant foreclosures, and if she is careful, she may be able to get much more house and land than we were able to obtain initially. In the state of the US economy, she may also be stuck there much longer than we were. She can afford to be more particular than we were. She also must be careful, as a larger home, may provide you with more rope in which to hang yourself. An older farmhouse, even if it superficially appears to be charming, may have issues and flaws which may make this home a "money pit".
Ultimately, the choices will need to be hers, and until then, a homebuilder or home inspector would probably be her best bet in examining this home for hidden issues. I can't help but think how much simpler life was, when all she needed was a car.
