When did you become a Prepper?

I was 12.

The power went out.

I was babysitting the neighbour's children - a five-year-old and an infant. I babysat frequently for this family, and knew the kids, the routine, and the house well. We were getting them ready for bed when the house was plunged into darkness.

In those days power outages were fairly frequent occurrences - above ground power lines and lots of trees in the neighbourhood - so a power outage was not a time for panic. However, the littlest one was instantly upset and her crying started to get her sister upset. Holding a sobbing Michelle's hand and carrying an inconsolable Isabelle, we felt our way through the hall to see if we could find a flashlight or candles or any alternate source of light, to no avail.

We sat in the dark for a bit, me trying to reassure them that all was well, but the screaming and crying was, admittedly, a bit wearing and I decided that I should call the restaurant where the parents were dining and ask them where I might find a flashlight.

Only it was too dark to dial the phone. In those days phones were attached by cords to the wall and had dials.

We sat on the floor by the phone, with Isabelle screaming and Michelle sobbing and both of them clinging to me and I picked up the handset. A dial tone - a good sign! Not being able to see the dial, I counted the holes 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 dial, 1-2-3-4-5 dial, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 dial. It was taking me so long to count the spaces that the call was timing out and I would start again. This was not working.

Because phones were attached to walls they tended to have long cords. So, carrying Isabelle, maintaining physical connection with Michelle, I went down the stairs, opened the front door to let in some ambient lighting, then back up the stairs, grabbed the phone (which in those days were heavy and had to be carried in a certain way) and carried it down the stairs only to reach the limits of the cord about 3/4 of the way down. The three of us sat there as I tried to dial the restaurant.

Before I managed to place a successful call, the parents came home (the power had gone out in the restaurant too) very surprised to see the three of us sitting on the stairs, with two crying kids and what I'm sure was a wild-eyed pre-teen and a phone.

Ever after I asked the parents where the emergency supplies were when I babysat. And that may have been when I became "a prepper".