My friend was pastor of a small-town church and lived in a house on the church property. Late one night, he was awakened by loud music and went to investigate. He found a pickup full of drunks sitting on the church property with one of them out of the truck and urinating on the lawn. Arming himself with his six-shooter, but keeping it behind his leg out of sight, he went forth to correct the offensive behavior.
At first the drunk outside the pickup just wanted to argue while the pastor tried to explain to him that what he was doing just wasn’t decent. But all of a sudden, he started apologizing and he and his friends beat a hasty retreat. My pastor friend was pretty proud of himself for being able to reason with a drunk, proud of himself, that is, until he turned around. Behind him and standing off to one side was his wife, armed with a double-barreled 12 gauge.
In another case, with not so peaceful results, an off-duty officer of my acquaintance went outside to try to quiet down a neighbor’s cooking party that had turned into a free-for-all. As he tried to make peace, one of the combatants pulled a knife and came after the officer. Just about the time it looked like my friend was about to get seriously cut, his wife ran out on the porch and tossed him his service revolver. The knife wielder would wield a knife no more.
Too often we think of the man of the family as being responsible for his family’s safety. While this is certainly a noble position, it really shouldn’t be that way. All family members share some responsibility for the welfare of their kin. It is simply the smart thing to do, because there is strength in numbers.
Every person in the family, based upon their age and ability, can have some role in keeping the family safe. Some may learn actual defensive tactics, while other learn first aid and others focus on communication skills, and all family members strengthen the unit by honing their awareness skills. It will certainly ruin a crook’s day when he thinks he is going up against just one man only to find that he is being engaged by an entire team.
Sit down with your family, however large or small it might be, and work out defensive roles based upon skill and ability.
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