The first thing you need to do to protect your family is practice situational awareness. Look around and be aware. Don't walk around with your head focused on your cell phone. Look up and scan for threats. 

A lot of victims will claim that the "bad guy" came out of no where. When the truth is that guy had been watching you the whole time and you weren't paying attention. "Bad guys" will usually case victims before they attack. This is called the "interview process." "Bad guys" don't want you to remember who they are. If you look up, look people in the eyes and say "hello," they know you have seen them and acknowledged your presence. Doing this makes you a less likely target. Remember there are "bad guys" watching you all the time. Ten percent of the population are "dirt bags." These people would take advantage of you if they had the chance. Ten percent of those "dirt bags" are truly evil people that make their living preying on others. 

Identify people you see and walk by. Why is that person there? What are they doing? What is the purpose of their activity? Then wait and see what they do. Were you right? This helps you to continually improve your assessment abilities.

Get your family involved in the protection plan. Develop age specific activities and start teaching them to be aware and that no matter how big and bad you get you still need to respect the threat that others may present. As your children age, get them experience with sparring and being roughed up in a safe environment so they understand their capabilities. Teach your family an escape plan. Know how to get out of any situation if your family's "safe word" is mentioned. This escape plan has to go into immediate action with no questions asked so everyone needs to be on point together. 

Play the "what if" game? What if someone does this what are you going to do? Think of various possible outcomes for various circumstances and what you would do in each circumstance. Run the scenarios continually in your head no matter where you are.

The biggest thing you can do for the protection of your family in a long term survival situation is getting to know your neighbors. You can't be an island, operating on your own. You need a village to produce and protect what you need. It is impossible to protect your supplies, work at collecting supplies and rest alone.  Start with the guy next door. Can you trust them? Do you know at least three of your neighbors? It takes effort to get to know your neighbors so throw a neighborhood barbecue or attend a neighborhood block party. Having this relationship now before SHTF will allow you to organize a community plan in a much more cohesive manner in the time of need.

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