The Big Bad Wolf
When my son, MC, was about 2 ½ years old, he had developed this real fear of the Big Bad Wolf. We had read him frequently the story of the three little pigs, and several times a day, he would indicate some worry, bordering on panic, that “the Big Bad Wolf is going to get me.”
Naptimes and bedtimes were impossible, and most time during the day he would not consent to being out of sight for of an adult for the briefest of times. Kelli pointed out to him that we lived in a house of bricks, and I told him that a paratrooper in the house made it wolf-proof. Still every night, “The Big Bad Wolf is going to get me”. MC was not convinced, and this fear controlled his day, while it also had great impact on the family unit.
I had a notion how to solve the issue, but I did let it go on for just over a week. When it came up again one morning, I showed him this photograph of a coyote I had shot and killed in the field several years before.
This animal was an exceptionally good proxy for the BBW, the right color and right size, and there was at one point during the hunt in the tracking portion that I circled to left to get in front of him, while he circled to the left to get behind me; and we met and faced down one another in a creek bed at a distance much too close for my comfort. 
He barred his teeth, and the hair came up on the back of his neck- which caused the hair to come up on the back of my neck, but for a different reason. I found his performance very impressive.
I must admit that I was momentarily intimidated, as this looked like something that was written in a Steven King novel. Luckily, I quickly remembered that I was equipped with both a .270 rifle and opposable thumbs.
After MC saw the picture, we haven’t had any more difficulties at bedtime, and really haven’t heard anything else about the Big Bad Wolf. This left an impression that I will let the boy relate to you in his own words. (video)
I should explain that my wife’s and my birthdays are 7 days apart and this was filmed during that span, so we can pinpoint the timing. When this video was recorded MC was two weeks from being exactly 2 1/2. Also, that my ATV/ 4 Wheeler is known here as “the bike.”
I am happy that he is sleeping better, but the moral of the story in my view, is that when the weakest and the most vulnerable in your unit- family unit or otherwise- is confident that they are protected; this is a profound achievement within that unit. Harmony and satisfaction in the security sense that eliminates worry causes everyone in the unit to rest better.
The Big Bag Wolf is an excellent metaphor for what we will call from this point forward as a “threat actor” or TA, and/or those elements that wish to invade one’s space and cause disharmony. By my research and estimation, there are different kinds of these actors, each with their own dynamics and weaknesses, that I intend to write different pieces on. For your consumption until then, they are the criminal TA, the terrorist TA, the group actors, and the combination of two or more. Also, one general addendum that places all of these actors in an elevated and more unpredictable state. Stay tuned for further explanations if I have managed to capture your interest.
Continuing with the metaphor, the first and best defense in dealing with a TA, is living in a house of bricks. That is, your structure or a barrier between the TA and the unit that is difficult to compromise. There are many ways to construct a “house” literally or figuratively that accomplishes this, which when employed properly discourages, intimidates, resists- and hopefully prevents- TAs from invading the unit’s space. Most of these are very simple and straightforward, bordering on the obvious- i.e. a locked door- but must include the art of employment within the science of construction. At the very least a house of bricks will erode a TA’s confidence, and hopefully send him down the road, especially when there are plenty of houses of straw around available to be blown down.
The second best and easily available remedy for the BBW if the house of bricks is still not sufficient and the wolf still gets in, is to transform the members of the unit from little pigs to something less appetizing. Imagine a dedicated BBW, that gains entry to the unit’s space expecting little pigs, just to be confronted with the 3 grizzly bears. “Excuse me, kind bears- wrong house.” Grizzly bears, with opposable thumbs. I would easily estimate that there are few things more confident in a security sense than a Grizzly with opposable thumbs. It would at the very least be a great add to a functioning security unit.
Do you have thumbs?