An Intro To Chainsaws
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“To teach is to learn twice.” Joseph Joubert

One of my favorite things to do is teach. Though I was never a full-time teacher, I have taught in the military, law enforcement, and emergency medicine. But the place I believe I have been the most influential teacher is as a father. Others I taught maybe sat through an hour-long class, or perhaps rode with me for several shifts in a police car or an ambulance; my kids have learned from me all their lives.

There are many ways to teach and learn. A Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” My kids have–hopefully–learned from my good and bad examples, my successes and my failures. In addition, I try to deliberately teach them what I believe they need to know. Things like how to: have good manners, do laundry, change a tire, cook, clean a clogged drain, and stop bleeding.

I try to teach the kids new skills on a regular basis. I’m now going to formalize this process; one Sunday a month I will teach them a prepper-type skill.

This month we had a, somewhat impromptu, introductory lesson to chainsaws. During our recent ice storm one of the many trees that fell landed on my kids’ mom’s (my ex-wife’s) fence. So, to help out–and reap the firewood–I volunteered to remove the tree.

I borrowed a chainsaw from a friend (thanks Rick) and Ryan, Chanse and I headed over. When we got to the tree, I did the bigger/risky cutting. We brought the large branches into the yard and I let the boys, under close supervision, limb off the smaller branches. Chanse had used a saw once before, but Ryan never had. They listened closely to my instructions and then carefully followed my direction. It’s hard not to feel kind of manly when using a chainsaw, and both boys thought it was pretty cool.

While we were there the girls came out and I asked if they’d like to learn, and all wanted to try. So starting with Brynn, then Emily, then Alison they each limbed one branch. They didn’t do a lot but, especially for the two younger girls, the saw was  heavy and they wouldn’t have been able to do much more. But they were successful and could at least say that they’d done it – and smiles were had by all.

Remember to teach your kids–and your spouse–the skills you know. You may not be around when they are necessary.

(Wednesday: Momma Bear: Momma Bear Is The Prepper, by our new contributor Leah)