Here's something I believe after a life of camping, living on sailboats and prepping: the gear matters less than how you handle it. And how you handle it is something you can practice.
Your kids watch you. If you treat a power outage like a disaster, they will too. If you treat it like an adventure you've done before, they'll follow your lead. Calm is contagious.
Try a practice night
- Pick a night and tell everyone it's lights-out night.
- Flip the breakers off, or just agree not to use anything electric.
- Make dinner using only what's in your emergency supplies, or cook outside on the grill.
- Find out what's missing: was there enough light? Did you know where the flashlights were? Was anyone cold?
- Play cards or board games by lantern light.
- Write down what you learned and fix one thing.
The first time feels strange. By the third time, nobody blinks. That's the whole point. When the real thing happens, it's just another lights-out night your family already knows how to do.