the "RV family" lifestyle sounds like a nightmare... | Internet Analysis

[@tiffanyferg]

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[@kass_G59]

💖💖💖

[@lulusnyder4312]

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[@Tiorg-g1u]

Wood Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone and Black Orchid by Tom Ford ❤️

[@sadem1045]

I think I'm being scammed by someone claiming to be you.

[@kass_G59]

@@sadem1045 That’s been happening a lot on KZbin lately. People pretending to be KZbinrs & telling their fans to contact them usually on telegram or WhatsApp. So if anyone mentions either of those, it’s probably a scam. Be cautious & never send them money.

[@abvhrulz]

One of the things that bothers me the most is it seem the parents all have a massive queen/king bed and the kids sleep in a coffin with no privacy . It’s so wrong.

[@manilovelaufey]

So true

[@amimir1561]

I guess people have this idea that kids can just tolerate that type of shit (coffin bunks and sleeping on the floor), since they're young and able. But this is a horrible way to live. These people don't see their children as anything more than more intelligent dogs, with simple needs.

[@pinkmate22]

​@amimir1561 So true and because of that, they also don't realize that making them sleep that way every single night for months or years can cause severe back problems when they're older. The kids are probably gonna be like 18 & wondering why their back hurts 24/7 one day smh.

[@neffyg35]

I mean they need the privacy to make more kids

[@lornarettig3215]

@@neffyg35Doesn’t sound like these selfish, immature ‘parents’ were ready to have any kids in the first place, never mind more.

[@in_99]

This is just another chapter in the book of “things that would be considered trashy if you were poor”

[@bonnie1303]

✨this✨

[@unpreparedwithacapitalf]

For sure. Privileged people choosing a lifestyle that other less privileged people have no choice over living

[@rebeccaa.3121]

Or “things that would be considered shady, antisocial, abusive and criminal if you were black”

[@blanket4763]

It’s trashy for anyone lowkey

[@joyitadarling5815]

​@@unpreparedwithacapitalf dystopian asf

[@muffim_tv]

with the Family of Nomads, literally the ONE THING that their kid wanted for their birthday was to stay in a hotel. if your kid begs desperately to have their own room for just one night, you know there’s a problem. as someone who struggles with sensory issues and can’t handle much of my family in a single day, RV life sounds like hell on earth.

[@anti-usernamesaltaccount3623]

It’s worse at night.

[@katieeb1049]

and, that same child, they just posted is in treatment for mental health. i think there could be some sort of correlation with their hectic lifestyle and lack of stability to their mental health

[@Luke-tg2tl]

Right! I haven't even thought of that. It's pretty bad for me as well and I still have my own room next to one empty room and corridor, so pretty isolated

[@daisysl]

Totally agree I NEED my space. I mean I love my family but you need privacy

[@tradingfriends]

As an adult i struggle at family gatherings getting stressed out, i can't imagine being a teen with no privacy

[@queerythingsart1455]

This life style screams "daddy/mommy had a manic episode and made a rash choice" energy

[@katarinatibai8396]

💯💯💯🎯 this

[@bajorekjon]

Please don't denigrate people with manic depression to make a point or a joke

[@icravedeath.1200]

​@@bajorekjonI have it and I think it's funny

[@semoremo9548]

Something I've seen a lot in these videos is that the parent's bedroom is usually huge with even closets and a full bathroom, meanwhile the kids sleep in those coffins. Like... what a way to show your kids that their comfort is worth less than yours

[@dgo333]

LITERALLY which confuses the hell out of me because even in low income families where small space living is a necessity, sometimes the parents will take the sacrifices like sleeping in the living room just to make sure their kid/s have a bedroom (obv not all do this, but it’s the fact that these rv ppl try to romanticize it all as a “fun choice” that baffles me and then give their kids the short end of the stick)

[@oomflem]

I did the math on one of these families for a reddit sub recently. Said family have said their bus is 217 square feet. 217 divided by 9 equals 24 square feet per person, not considering how much of that is covered up by furniture and fittings, so it's probably more like two thirds of that, I'm gonna say like 18 square feet each. "The International Committee of the Red Cross recommends that cells be at least 5.4 m2 (58 sq ft) in size for a single cell accommodation (one person in the cell). However, in shared or dormitory accommodations, it recommends a minimum of 3.4 m2 (37 sq ft) per person, including in cells where bunk beds are used.[1." A standard American prison cell is 48 square feet. Those kids likely have about ONE HALF the space recommended by the red cross as bare minimum for a communal prison cell, and like a third of that recommended for an individual prison cell. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_cell But it gets worse. This family lock their six kids in a tiny room at the back of the bus much of the time. I asked for estimates for the size of just that back-room from people who know about this sort of stuff. They estimated about 18 square feet. 3 square feet per kid. If true, that's ONE TWELFTH of the legal minimum for a shared jail cell, about ONE TWENTIETH of that for a single cell, and ONE SIXTEENTH of the average. Those parents should be in prison.

[@tacrewgirl]

@@dgo333 THIS THIS THIS

[@bagelsaregood8517]

say it louder ong, it's always for the parents, the kids are an afterthought

[@muaowa]

red white and bethune got roasted for this! as they should have been

[@stellarae8257]

“Our child finally started to feel like they had a more stable mental state after five years of feeling terrible and so to celebrate we thought we’d take away everything and everyone that helped them through that process so that we can live MY dream to be constantly driving around and never having any stability”

[@soupy_soup2]

Yikes. When you word it like that it’s even worse.

[@duckzork3670]

One way i thought how Addison could’ve been feeling is “i haven’t spent 5 actual years with my parents or siblings, as long as im near them and they’re happy I’m happy” but how long can they rely their emotions on their family’s emotions

[@samiacool9]

Don't forget that for their birthday, all Adison wanted was to sleep in a hotel room.

[@stellarae8257]

@@samiacool9 I know and they couldn’t even give them that :/

[@stellarae8257]

@@duckzork3670 yeah basing your emotional well-being on other peoples’ emotions is a recipe for disaster. I’m just thinking that they probably had more than just their family that helped them through that long process of 5 years and so i don’t think it was a good idea to suddenly change their environment. I get where you’re coming from though!

[@emmalinekim9822]

a friend of mine (he grew up very wealthy) did one year of RV life as a kid. They still owned their home, but they spent one year visiting national parks and being home schooled. He said it was a great experience, but I'm sure part of the reason it was so great was knowing that it was kind of like an extended vacation and their house was still waiting for them when it was over.

[@dpauline4482]

YES! I've seen some homesteading vloggers do this with varying degrees of success, but they all had homes to return to at the end of their trip!

[@emmalinekim9822]

@@dpauline4482 Unfortunately, I realize that investing in an RV and leaving your job for a year just isn't possible for many families without selling their home. I'm sure a lot of families would love to keep their home and travel for a year to bond and go on adventures but literally just can't afford it.

[@meghansullivan6812]

Yea omg that sounds awesome

[@flowerfabuki4783]

I actually lived the nomadic life style from ages 6ish to 13/14ish but instead of an RV is was like a legit mobile home hitch. After 13 I settled in one place due to my moms health and still live in that same area so having two perspectives of it…there are pros and cons to both. I think these parents in the video are shoving WAY too many people in there (my sitch was me, my two older siblings and my mother in a two bedroom set up) plus we would usually rent land in rural areas so having privacy wasn’t always a big deal, like you could go walk in the woods lol I know my mom did it out of poverty in the 90s and also being a cosmologist she could find work pretty much anywhere. I think pro wise I did get to see more of the US and was exposed to and lot of cultures and growing up around in that environment was normal, but the cons were like couldn’t have long term friends, and even now I think I have a different perspective of friendship compared to a lot of other people because it was so normal to have people for a fun time not a long time. I do remember my older siblings being upset about it at time when they were teenagers because the not having long term friends thing, and I do have memories of like one move in particular I was tore up about because I had made more than a surface level friend at that location. However I also love my childhood, I learned how to grow food, make clothes, in really rural areas we would rent livestock to help feed us. Some of the best memories of my childhood were in the woods with my family just pocking stuff with sticks and building stuff. I also think my ability to understand people live differently came from that because I saw so many religions so many cultures and so many different ideologies while growing up I realized that everybody is uniquely different. In these set ups with these bloggers is usually a big concern because I still went to public school, I wasn’t homeschooled, and they usually have set ups smaller than mine with twice as many kids. Even in the late 90s my mom knew it was important that everyone get their own space and privacy (if only to cut down on any potential fighting about the issue) I think it can be a good childhood but it comes with it’s own cons like having a stationary childhood does as well, and it takes a parent that is very aware of those cons and knows how to navigate it in order for the children to felt heard and cared for.

[@emmalinekim9822]

@Flower Fabuki I am so glad that you had a parent who cared about you and made that experience good! I've known a lot of kids who moved frequently bc of military families, oil families, state department families, Etc. I did meet these kids in school, though, so they weren't homeschooled. I did know one guy who was from a military family and homeschooled until high school, but whenever they moved, he would join local sports teams and attend church, so he was still making friends. Moving frequently isn't inherently bad, and especially now, with the internet, you can keep up with friends you make along the way. I definitely agree with concerns about space, privacy, and education. Thank you for sharing your experience. Do you have any places you found particularly beautiful that are often overlooked?

[@sazzorakskills1614]

“They make friends everywhere!” As a military kid who has a lot of friends who were also former military kids, I can imagine how painful it is for RV family kids to constantly make and then lose friends. There’s no sense of stability. Additionally, as a person with autism, sharing a space with my family 24/7 sounds like a NIGHTMARE. For a lot of autistic people, we really need a quiet place to calm down, and there just isn’t one in an RV.

[@m0L3ify]

Same, except my dad was an Electrical Engineer. Same nomadic life, tho. Those temporary friendships were devastating to me because no one wanted to be friends with the new kid after the age of 8, so I became a very lonely child. I also have ASD. And my mom and sister had BPD, so living in an RV would have been a literal nightmare whenever the violent rages started with no place to escape to. It was hard enough growing up in a big house with that. The thing I've noticed about myself and my siblings is that once we had the chance to settle down somewhere stable, we did so immediately and stayed put. We're all very distant from each other and don't communicate often, but we all did the same thing: abandon the nomadic lifestyle as soon as humanly possible. If there's a kid that enjoys it, I've yet to meet them.

[@jazcaddell2443]

My husband is a military kid and he is exceptional at making quick friends in awkward situations but absolutely terrible at preserving any kind of meaningful relationship with them because as a kid his friends were always moving and he would never see them again.

[@m0L3ify]

@@jazcaddell2443 My spouse grew up the same way. Similar issues.

[@pokelover02]

Same! This is absolutely terrifying to me. I feel so sorry for those kids 💔

[@ursulajoni15]

Yes that's exactly it doesn't really matter that they can make friends everywhere if they lose them every few months( if that)

[@RanDom-lk6rx]

I’m so scared that this RV model could be used to hide abuse- This has the potential to completely isolate a kid from ANY outside help. Like not even give them the option to escape an abusive situation. No trusted adults to report things, concerned neighbors to overhear, worried friends who will listen, teachers, or extended family? And where would you run? You’re in a new place everyday. Your abuser lives on top of you. No hidden money with no job, no formal education, and maybe no legal documents. You might not even realize that the situation is wrong if you have nothing to compare it against. This mode of life- like not having any stable community (unlike other traveling people who travel with their entire community) just seems so…. optimized for abuse.

[@embarrassedcap]

that's already a problem with non-rv homeschooling. I remember googling as a teenager "what to do if you think your parents are abusive" and every answer was "tell your school guidance councilor or a teacher you trust." so I was like "damn guess I'm screwed". an rv would be so much worse. you wouldn't even really have the privacy to google that with parents constantly over your shoulder with a camera.

[@idek7438]

This is extreme but I'm thinking of those heartbreaking murder/disappearence cases involving little kids where no one seems to have any idea the kid even existed or kept track of them in any way. There is the Opelika Jane Doe case where a 5 year old was found murdered in a trailer park almost 20 years ago and to this day no one has any idea who she was or who killed her. That's because the child wasn't allowed to form social bonds other than with the people who were abusing her and who eventually killed her. No one recognizes her now because no one knew her when she was alive. A nomadic van lifestyle would be the optimal background to commit a crime like that and never have anyone find out. The Opelika Jane Doe killer is still living their life out there having literally murdered a child in their care and people are none the wiser.

[@ingusch3783]

This! I've started my teaching career (middle- & high school) during the 2nd Covid lockdown my country had, and many colleagues told me that they've never before had to report so many cases of possible child abuse and demand so many police check-ups for kids who had basically gone MIA since they hadn't been able to come to school. Those kids were robbed of safe spaces away from the abusers in their homes, not just school, but also just things like being able to head to a friend's place. There is data confirming that, while abuse has always been happening before, too, many new cases of spousal or parental abuse during the Rona years could be linked to the fact that people had to spend a lot of time together in their cramped apartments. No matter how pretty the RV looks and how many cool trips they show on social media, it's also an extremely cramped space, and these kids have no school friends or teachers or guidance councillors or what have you that they could possibly turn to for help and emotional support.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Also interacting with people on the regular from school, apartment building, neighborhood, etc gives you perspective and insight. Like no, not every adult blows up when a kid drops their cup

[@bootybuttcheeks]

This is true even if someone noticed something the parents could just pack up and go

[@scoobydoobydoo8069]

“They have tons of new friends” yeah, friends that they will never see again. The worst part about vacation is leaving your new friends, but at least with vacation, you get to go back to your hometown friends. These kids don’t have a base to go back to

[@Moey_idk]

As a extremely anxious person the unstableness of it all would probably cause a panic attack that would kill me

[@littlemeowmeow9947]

As someone who went to 11 schools. Yep…I am jealous of people who knew people from kindergarten. Heck. Even middle school…

[@starscream4812]

New friends mean nothing if you can’t keep in contact with them. Part of the fun of having new friends is that eventually they would become old friends

[@KaliqueClawthorne]

Also, with vacation - they would be able to stay friends when they want through writing each other letters. Because they would have a stable address.

[@m0L3ify]

It's honestly so hard growing up as a kid without a hometown. You never feel like you belong anywhere. No matter where you go, you're always an outsider.

[@oz4648]

My jaw still drops when I learn how much of kids personal ( especially medical) information is just thrown around as content.

[@restingwitchfacetarot605]

I’m in the autistic community, and the Neurotypical “autism mommies” FILMING AND POSTING their childrens autistic meltdowns is so disgusting to me. I can’t even imagine my parents posting such a vulnerable moment in my life.

[@ruliak]

My mom would talk about my medical issues like this when i was younger. I love my mom but it really sucked and was very violating.

[@niemand9362]

It shouldn't be aloud to post anything about kids until they are at least 14yo. And kids should not have access to social media at all.

[@c12486]

YEAH THAT WAS SO ICKY

[@jules7210]

One important thing to note though is that they are very respectful of addison like the first few months she was in hospital they didn’t share anything she chose to share it to try and help other kids.

[@persephone2580]

I'm interested to hear all of these kids' stories in 10 years and know what really happened and what they really felt

[@miauuu124]

It’d be real interesting if they did some kind of like “self-made documentary” (i hope im using the right words) from bunches of kids who had van-life experience growing up.

[@persephone2580]

@miauuu124 omg yeah, that would be really interesting, I would want to see that

[@seattletrempe5174]

My mother and brother and I all lived in a VW bus for 2 years from the ages of 8-10 back in 2007-2009 and I agree with a lot of the things in this video but also I never felt socially isolated because I would meet kids my age at camp grounds who I would befriend. Today, I find that I’m really good at making friends and conversing with new people. Even though I didn’t have much schooling at that time, I’m now a chemical engineer and i don’t feel that my education was compromised. For me, these years were some of the best years of my life. I am extremely close to my family because of it and I got to explore nature every single day. To this day, I prefer being outside over watching tv.

[@MelanatedHomesteadher]

More like a year or two

[@rosaliemccarty3136]

Can’t wait

[@hallock6761]

Living in an RV sounds like a fun thing to do once you’re retired, without having to worry about having the best environment for your kids while in an RV.

[@EeveelutionStorm]

Or if your childfree and just want to see the world. I've seen solo vanlifers who have it more put together and actually want it. (ToriDelori is one I think of immediately)

[@christinafidance340]

I live in an RV and lived on a boat for 3 years before that and no, I wouldn’t do this lifestyle with children. It’s only enough space (in my opinion anyway) if its just you or a couple.

[@animeotaku307]

Same. It’s an item on my bucket list; travel the country in an RV (or similar) for a year. No kids, maybe an SO if they’re on board.

[@Kalleron]

It does seem like a fun thing to do for a summer or a couple of weeks in summer, but living like that full time seems exhausting. 😅

[@peterevans6480]

exactly, thats why my parents want to move to their cottage once all of us have moved out. We own a cottage besides a farm and a lake, and my father grows crops, my mother is a nurse, they said theyll sell our current house for money so they can fix up the cottage more and have some money to be stable.

[@crazyfrytka]

You mentioned issue of isolation of these kids, but I want to point something out. With this kind of lifestyle, nobody is there to check on the child. With regular lifestyle, you have neighbours, kids' teachers, local doctors, parents' friends/ workmates and A LOT other adults that see that kid on regular basis and can react if they feel that kid needs help. Imagine if one of those VR parents beats one child. Who's gonna notice that new bruises keep coming? Random people that see this kid for few hours and then never again? All those kids have are their parents. There is nobody (like neighbour or teacher) for them to seek help or advice, so if there is anything wrong... they are just f*** up.

[@kimberlym.6331]

That’s a really really good point. You know what they say, it takes a village. Kids need MULTIPLE adult advocates!

[@Maglors_grief]

That was my first thought as well. I couldn't help but wonder if these parents are hiding something and that's why they're isolating their children from the world pretty much. Even if nothing is actually going on, I still feel it's inherently abusive to force children to live a lifestyle like this.

[@invictus_1245]

If you've ever seen the Rodriguez family (they're fundies in the same branch as the Duggers distantly related by marriage) they specifically traveled in an rv because they were reported to CPS and fled their first home.

[@fart63]

They are isolating their kids for control. They have full power over everything these children do. They will never be able to get jobs in the real world while living in these vans therefore they will have no independent income . They will never have friends or family outside of the car they can rely on. It will be significantly harder for them to move out of these when it comes time for them to be adults. They have barely any access to healthcare. That, to me, is especially worrying when related to the family with a child who was apparently extremely sick to the point they thought their kid could die. My sister has a lifelong disability that has been life threatening to her. Having access to her doctors that we have known her whole life, that already have her medical information, is absolutely critical. I do not know what condition specifically their child has/had, but if your kid has an issue so serious, they need stability even more so than other kids. If their child were to relapse or fall ill in say; the middle of the fucking mountains, surrounded by nothing but trees in a state they don’t know much about, the kid can straight up die and there’s nothing you can do. Pretty fucking dangerous and irresponsible.

[@jordy_muhnordy]

I was wondering about the children's doctors, especially after the family said they uprooted their old life after one of the kids got really sick. And on the topic of sickness, I couldn't imagine being sick/feeling unwell and having to climb/cram into a bunk bed.

[@nj9968]

I hate that these parents always say their kids are happy. Most toxic and abusive parents don't think they are abusive. Most horrible parents think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[@kotkotlecik7310]

That's so true.

[@439801RS]

Should've sliced something amirite 😂

[@lornarettig3215]

I am still routinely aghast at how selfish and immature so many parents are.

[@Nemrafarouk]

@@lornarettig3215some parents should just not be parents. Get a pet if they want to be a “parent”.

[@romantic_hippie]

Those kids say they're happy on camera to pacify their parents because it's what the parents wanna hear. I think a lot of us know the feeling

[@tora9989]

This is about the Family of Nomads: Their oldest child is 15! I was fifteen just a few months ago and I would have HATED having a space that cramped. Teens need their privacy and having a loft in an RV where you can be heard by your family all the time is not enough privacy!

[@LakinMae5]

Especially with stuff like periods, those need time and space in order to properly handle the symptoms.

[@missy1239]

Okay, but the fact that their teen was finally doing better from a mental disorder then they ripped them from their home and friends. Sure they’re stationary now, but it does not make sense how an ED could go unknown in this way unless something is being ignored

[@chocolateaddictedartist5924]

Bruh I'm almost fifteen and I still need privacy lol. How is their child dealing with this?!

[@cayleighdenee]

This would have been 15 year old me’s worst nightmare

[@vineetamendiratta5121]

Yeah. I am 12. And LakinMae5 made a great point in the reply section. And because we don't have a room, me, my brother and my father sleep on a twin sized bed and my mother sleeps on the floor with a mattress. But at least I have privacy. As soon as a child hits puberty, they NEED privacy

[@Ronniecrane123]

As a former RV kid, I honestly think there is a degree of narcissism associated with traipsing your children all across the country just because you don’t wanna pay a mortgage. Children NEED stability for healthy development.

[@promisedjubileedaniels]

On the one hand, I agree with you, but on the other hand, I was in a family like this growing up, and the van BECOMES the stability. It's the "home" you go home to. And while I became friends with kids all over the US (and am still friends with many of them), I really became best friends with my sister. And we're still best friends now at almost 40.

[@Ojo10]

Yeah, I watch videos with homeschooled kids who are touring the world and parents were bragging they had been to Disneyland 42 times. So that meant the kids were completely happy with their situation. Like yeah, okay trips can be fun and educational, but the oldest only looked like 7-8. Like are they even really registering all these experiences when the youngest looks 3-4 ? It doesn't seem like the healthiest thing for them to visit 12+ countries minimum in a year.

[@ashlynparrott7130]

​@@Ojo10 The kids look happy because they're kids; once they hit 17-18 it starts to hit them that they don't know who they are, they don't know what to do with their life, and they have no real education. I know because it happened to me and my brother (who ended up not finishing his HS education and is now trying really hard to get his GED while disabled)

[@brandibucko]

This! This is what I think of when we watch wife swap and I see kids who are kept at home all day, every day.

[@dahliadialup]

Yes. I am a child of two narcissistic/sociopathic parents and if they had the funds to do this to us, they would have LOVED all that extra control

[@rachelmdiamond]

Yeah, when I was a kid, I was afraid telling my mom that I didn’t like cream cheese would hurt her feelings. I’d never have been able to say, “hey parents, I’m gonna need you to buy a house bc I don’t like traveling anymore.”

[@SuperYoshi29]

This comment is perfect! So true about worrying that I would my mom’s feelings more than my own comfort

[@skipperringo]

Yes! My mom liked dressing me up in pink frilly clothes which I absolutely hated and couldn’t take anymore once I was around 12 or 13, but because of how much she loved it I felt like I couldn’t tell her I didn’t want to wear that anymore. After years I finally was able to tell her why I never seemed to wear the cute girly clothes she bought me but blamed me for not telling her sooner. Even after telling her she still tried guilting me by acting all sad when I wouldn’t wear her clothes she picked out and saying she wished I was still her sweet little girl. I’m an adult now and I still have so many issues when telling people “no” because I always seem to have to explain myself

[@IlIlIlIIlll]

​@@skipperringo I relate so much to your comment. Saying no because that makes me uncomfortable should just be enough, but sadly some people don't get it. It hurts especially when people close to you do not understand your perspective and try to fish for a reasonable excuse for them, while keep pushing what they want.

[@oatmeal_reads]

so well put and also hilarious, that was so me as a kid too hahah

[@chrismarco17]

My sister and I did the same thing with our mom except with Strawberry Kiwi Caprison. It’s not that we didn’t like but that it was the only flavor our mom bought. It took us a year to work up the courage to let her know we wanted to try a different flavor.

[@elaowczarczyk7143]

“They have a lot of friends and have friends all across the country”. As someone who kept transferring schools and always had to constantly leave behind and make new friends. It was absolutely devastating growing up for me, cause I learnt that I shouldn’t invest in relationships as I’ll just be forced to leave them. I developed social issues and took me YEARS to catch up. Children NEED stable and permanent friends. (I went to a total of 11 different schools and I have extreme difficulty making friends and can’t even invest in romantic relationships cause I developed major commitment and attachment issues)

[@potatorodka2795]

I'm the exact same way, I have no idea how to transition an acquaintance into a friendship.

[@spaceyintgehead9658]

Same bestie. My dad's in the military so we had to move every year, then he has the audacity to ask why I don't make any friends lol

[@styxthistle497]

My mum wasn't an RV kid, but her family kept moving throughout the 60s and 70s between Britain and Hong Kong, and she said that she had to constantly build up friendships before moving across the globe again, which was very upsetting. Today, she's lived in the same house for nearly thirty years and she never wants to move again, partly because of her childhood. So yeah I can confirm on her behalf that it's not healthy for children especially to be constantly moving.

[@nebnik2015]

wasnt an rv kid but moved alot and its honestly horrible. i envy the friends i do have who have had the same stable healthy friendships since childhood knowing ill never have that and have to learn how as an adult

[@abathtub1411]

yesss. and even if they have some campgrounds they return to regularly, thats still not enough to form a truly stable and lasting bond unless your staying for most of the summer, and its still not the same as freinds you can see year-round.

[@Kiwi-ix4px]

the saddest bit about addison is that they’ve struggled with an eating disorder and wasn’t on camera for a long time, when asked, the mom went on to say “anorexia is a disease and has no cause and can happen to anyone”, when often in anorexic patients, they struggle with a lack of CONTROL over their life… which is really telling :)))))

[@CrimsonMistress]

Precisely!! My family had to stay with my grandparents for a year while we looked for a house & I shared a room with my sister. This was when I was fifteen. The lack of privacy and the fact that my mom was constantly arguing with her parents contributed to such massive instability that I developed an eating disorder because it was the ONLY thing I felt like I had control over.

[@caocau-ez8oj]

"Has no cause" is really blunt, i hope she did her research

[@sallys.2707]

You don't "escape the rat race" if you still need to post content everyday, film, edit, look for sponsorship, etc. You're just living a different rat race. In an RV.

[@10qwertypoiu]

Damn!!!! 😭 perfectly said

[@blushandberries624]

100%. I've worked as an influencer for myself and as a Social Media Manager for a brand as an employee. Working with content and strategy for social media is a rat race no matter what. Let me tell you, I hugely prefer to earn less as an employee that have other people that deal with HR, business economics, and organizational tasks that I don't like. Also you have so much more safety in when you work and what you earn. Which is really is nice if you want to start a family. I dont do social media at all anymore but that experience from a brand gave me so many opportunities for other marketing jobs. The work I did as an "ifluencer" would not have set me up for the job I have today.

[@sarahnelson8836]

Also give up your privacy!!! Don’t forget that!!!

[@obokengm788]

Escape the rat race to enter the possum race🏁

[@sara61696]

Such a good point

[@lillie9375]

I grew up this way, I lived in an RV from birth until college, fully nomadic for 6 years of it and then partially nomadic for the rest. I would be willing to do an interview on a stream or something about it because I'm super passionate about this topic but have no platform. It was awful. Pretty much everything you said is spot on, and I was in one of those best case scenario options where I only had one sibling and we both had our own semi-private spaces. But there's legitimately no real privacy, I overheard so many of my parents' conversations that I shouldn't have, and I always went and walked around outside for my own calls and conversations because I knew that everyone can hear everything. My parents were small business owners and I worked for them, which is essentially what these influencer kids are doing. With work, school, and family all being in one big bundle in a tiny space, there's no physical or emotional boundaries. It's so selfish to choose this lifestyle when you have kids. Some people have to of course, but if it's just your dream and choice, then don't have kids or do it after they grow up.

[@thebeaside]

@tiffanyferg I would def watch this interview!

[@anna-ie5lk]

I hope she sees your comment!

[@melancholyjones2873]

DON'T HAVE KIDS OR DO IT AFTER THEY GROW UP!!!! So many people have kids so they can live out some fantasy life, & see the kids as part of the fantasy rather than as real people with autonomy. But there's a difference between wanting to HAVE children & wanting to BE a parent. One is about fulfilling your own desires to play an idealized role in an idealized relationship. The other is about fulfilling the needs of another person & teaching them how to do so for themself, even when their needs conflict with your desires. That doesn't mean sacrificing your dreams for the sake of the kid. But it does mean asking if & how your dreams may or may not be compatible with raising a (physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually & financially) secure child.

[@Debboh]

I hope Tiffany sees this, it would be so interesting to hear your first hand experience!

[@AskMiko]

I’d love to hear about your experience

[@miaironstone6783]

I remember running into a video of one of the families you showed, specifically the child Addison, who on their birthday, literally only asked for a few days in an airbnb and they played it off as cute and funny and insisted at the end that they miss their RV, but man it just made me so sad. That kid literally asked for a few days in a real house for their birthday. It's so sad

[@makinley.s]

I saw that as well! Absolutely awful. Van/RV life is a very cool concept, but making kids live like that is insane.

[@lucciqs]

I was about to comment this!!

[@miaironstone6783]

@sewer~rat I legitimately had a few people imply that I was the one abusing THEIR KIDS by expressing sympathy for how hard it must be, I didn't even really come for the parents, just said that I feel for a kid who'd ask for something so small as a big birthday gift and want time in a house so bad. But I didn't say anything about the parents specifically because I didn't know anything about their situation enough to judge. But everyone took it as an attack and assumed that "fake sympathy targeted at kids you don't know for the crime of being different and implying they're life is sad is what REALLY" causes distress to these kids. Ended up deleting my comment over all the people who freaked out

[@sarinabina5487]

im waiting for the SLEW of kids who were previously famous from youtube, tiktok, etc to come out about their abuse 10 years from now as older teens/young adults. I predict the amount of kids from famous family vloggers in the future speaking out about how they were treated to be over 30+

[@miaironstone6783]

@Sarina Bina it's already starting, some of the older kids who are just starting to move out are telling their stories, and I wish I could say I found them very surprising, it's about what everyone predicted it would be

[@oliviaoverboard]

these kids are going to resent their parents for sure once they're older... also i think about the family vacations when i was younger and we definately got sick of each other if we were sharing a hotel somewhere for more than a week

[@justalittleturtle5600]

I grew up with an incredibly toxic family, and literally every vacation ended with tears in someway or another, even if said vacation was only for the weekend. Because the kids had absolutely no saying what was going on, my parents would decide on everything. We had to all follow the schedule, even if the kids were exhausted, we were still forced to go. If we wanted a break from our family (whether it be mentally or simply just do the physical exhaustion), we were chastised and berated for our abhorrent behavior, and then forced to “be a part of the family” (which I’m sure you can only imagine what was like). If we still refused, we weren’t allowed to partake in the rest of the vacation, were locked in our rooms, and then were grounded when we got back. And this all would happen, sometimes and a span of less than two days like clockwork. I can’t even imagine what life would’ve been like if my parents have been the type of dumbasses to throw away their house and get an RV. I probably would’ve actually gone through it and killed myself. I pray that Addison survives her family. And I can’t even imagine the tension that the two little kids must be feeling, because I’m guessing Addison and her mother don’t exactly “get along”.

[@TheJadedJames]

I wouldn’t say my family got sick of each other on vacation, but it did heighten personality conflicts, and the quality of family vacations dramatically increased when I was out of high school & the occasional family vacation might be one of the few times in a year the family was all in the same place at the same time

[@beverlyarcher3744]

The furthest I've ever been was 5 states away from home usually we went to the next state over talk about getting home sick by Wednesday I think it was because I missed sleeping in a bed that pull out couch was uncomfortable I was happy the day we came home it would be a a year before I went out of state again after that I got home sick easily but had a great uncle and aunt who helped keep it at bay though you couldn't tell unlike the 5 states away trip as that trip was a nightmare for me no privacy no bed to sleep on always awoken early in the morning never asked if I wanted to sleep on a bed couldn't go home as it was to far away I ended up doing something I never did before I started acting out and got spanked for it because my parents always got to choose and everyone was against me about my comfort in the end I hated the trip didn't like it and hated everyone because of it which I was also a few years from hitting teen years close to preteen so that could have been some of the problem feeling insecure

[@rachelgarber1423]

I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t already resent them. And if they gave up their bed and lived in one of those coffins maybe they would stop bringing more victims I mean kiddos into the world.

[@jordansmith9176]

Re: Addison’s ED: the mom said EDs “have no known cause and there’s no way to prevent them.” EDs are EXTREMELY COMMONLY KNOWN to be a trauma response to a lack of control in your life. I heard that they had an*rex*a and my heart sank- because I completely predicted it. And then I heard their mom give that complete BS excuse, and my heart broke in half because I knew they would NEVER receive the support they need to recover. I hope they survive this. An*rex*a kills.

[@emilyk5003]

She then proceeded to say on an ad that her kid’s eating disorder was caused by social media. I guess EDs can be caused by something but only if a soap company gives you enough cash.

[@Mia_M]

That's partly how my ED started. I lived with my dysfunctional parents who couldn't get their sh*t together, and it really messed me up when I was a teen. I just needed something to control and even during flare ups now, it goes back to that need for control.

[@katelynbrown98]

And it's literally almost entirely preventable!! 😢

[@leacnnmn]

Why are you censoring anorexia?

[@jordansmith9176]

@@leacnnmn because it can be triggering, but mostly because algorithms catch the uncensored word sometimes.

[@pl0shiee]

I’m shocked the family told the whole internet about their child’s diagnosis. That’s a lot to share. Even if the child said it’s okay, it just seems so odd to reveal so much to millions of strangers.

[@samanthaheins7711]

But regardless of whether the kid said it was okay, they’re still a child - a minor. I personally worry that there’s no protection the way there is with child actors. Even with laws protecting child actors, we’re seeing a lot of them come out with tell alls saying how abusive it is.

[@gem9535]

It’s a big problem as of late for parents to share their children’s diagnosis for sympathy and brownie points. “Look at how brave I am-raising a special needs child! I’m such a good parent.” Like tolerating their children for being disabled is not the bare f*cking minimum. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Now you’ll be seeing where parents are unnecessarily sharing their kids’ diagnosis. It. Is. Everywhere. Most recent one for me was a mom sharing about how her son made cookie. Oh sorry, her AUTISTIC son made cookies. She couldn’t forget to add that 😂

[@pamelalansbury94]

Sick kids = views = money

[@dumplingyoo7014]

I think in terms of education and searching for parenting with kids that have specific illness it good to make the content out of it. Share a story that make people dont feel alone. As long as their purpose is good. if it just an excuse for wrong doing, hell nah. Especially for gain sympathy and make it like a way to run of from every consequences

[@AarenYASS]

Well what would a child know? They're a child! Even if they somewhat understood, social media has ruined many peoples perception of what's actually ok to share. The parents are taking advantage of their innocence. -

[@Lemonnishh]

As someone who actively is a teenager in this situation right now. You are absolutely right it's impossible to make or keep friends and the amount of control the parents have is suffocating and being alone is very rare

[@stellarae8257]

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Please know that you’re loved and worthy of things like consistent friendship and stability. You don’t have to live like this forever, just make it until you’re a bit older and you’ll be over the worst of it 💛

[@loosilu]

Hang in there, it's not forever. You deserve better than this.

[@JadeAkelaONeal]

I'm glad you're a teen, at least. Not much longer man. I'm really sorry your parents are doing this to you.

[@Funeral_Mannequin]

As someone with autism I can totally understand the feeling of having little privacy and time to unwind. I can’t imagine how stressful this is for you and I hope you make it out.

[@coffeebean2370]

dude i am so sorry for you and only wish the best for you and your situation , sending good vibes to you

[@bobatealily]

In my opinion, RV life is more suitable for single ppl and childless couples, not families.

[@MelanatedHomesteadher]

This unless they are facing homelessness or something

[@elisak7466]

I was just going to comment this. I think living in an RV would also help save money due to how everything is SO expensive. Due to inflation and minimum wages is not a livable wage. Everything keeps getting more expensive but wages keep staying the same

[@kristenp5835]

Maybe with one child when they were toddler age for a very limited time it would be ok. Otherwise not so much. Poor kiddos 😮

[@northstar3339]

If ur willing to live on wheels and do not have a choice are very different things

[@tacticallemon7518]

@@MelanatedHomesteadher that’d be surviving, not living

[@softwaifu]

Can you imagine spending your childhood fighting an illness for YEARS and you finally on the other side of it and you're so excited to be able to just live your normal childhood again after all you've been through.... and your parents sell your house, shove you in an RV, make you sleep in barracks, and then tell people they did it BECAUSE OF YOUR ILLNESS THAT YOU BEAT????? 😢💔

[@grimlesbians]

"beating" a mental illness isnt the same as beating physical ailments either. stress *will* bring an eating disorder and ocd symptoms back n its typical for ppl to recover and relapse and rinse and repeat for a very long time. its basically going "well we havent seen ur symptoms in a while. so that means we get to introduce a bunch of triggers and lifestyle changes yay!!!" the amnt of neglect here is rly astounding. i feel so bad for her

[@olleheyb]

THIS!!! A formerly chronically sick child doesn’t want to travel with their entire family - they want a normal life of going to school everyday, hanging out with their friends, being like all the other kids. They want the stability and predictability they weren’t guaranteed when they thought they were gonna die. Those Nomad parents, a few of their shorts started to pop up for me a year ago. I watched them and immediately felt 🚩🚩🚩. Selfish parents!!!!

[@ginam.6787]

THIS!!! Imagine the pressure on this girl😢

[@joemonroe2249]

how do we know she doesn't enjoy this lifestyle? we don't so people shouldn't make assumptions

[@thinkfirst1989]

​@@olleheyb I don't agree. Kids get bullied really badly and rejected for being different. I bet you their siblings and parents are their best friends. Being sick inside and not being able to do anything except watch TV probably, and feel awful....and now they get to see amazing things all the time, and share joy and excitement with the people they love the most. Everyone's a critic and wants to assume the worst. There's no normal life when you've got a chronic illness or you're not neurotypical, and trying to fit it to a society and a routine that wasn't built for you and being rejected or failing every day is traumatic. Accepting that different is ok and finding the full beauty in the possibilities that lie in your difference is so healing.

[@edwardtheinsane]

Something that makes me angry about this is that the parents have the privilege of knowledge and experience. They know what it's like to go to school, to live in a house. Do the kids have that knowledge? A lot of times they don't. How can they "choose" RV life or homeschool, when they don't know any different? It's just a vague concept that literally means nothing. That's not real choice.

[@brendaburks188]

I was thinking about this specifically with the doctor at the end. He said his children didn't need schooling and learned from doing, but he was a freaking DOCTOR. How can he say anything about only "learning from doing?"

[@edwardtheinsane]

@@brendaburks188 Exactly! 😤🤬

[@mhenderson7673]

@@brendaburks188 When I was home-educated we learnt a lot by doing, but our "doing" included doing workbooks, learning on the internet, going to museums, etc. It's very stupid and hypocritical of him to not let them learn like this!

[@ragilespir9328]

So at what point do we all pull our kids aside and ask them: "well you've went to the same school and lived in the same house, wanna try nomadic homeschooling now?"

[@leslygomez2200]

Exactly what I was thinking. Parents have LIVED. They have a home, friends, human experiencies. Yet the kids are forced into the RV living style WITHOUT having lived their individual experiences. It's not a choice for them and it's so infuriating, if I were them I would have lost my mind.

[@clairebear-96]

Oh as soon as you mentioned the 15 (?) year old being autistic and having an eating disorder…. I’ve had an ED on and off for 10+ years and I’m autistic too, and this lifestyle seems like a NIGHTMARE to me. I would bet money they have an eating disorder as a way to have control over something in their life, and then having no personal space, having to probably deal with sensory overload in such a small space, etc etc….. sounds absolutely awful, and my heart breaks for these poor kids omfg

[@Tiorg-g1u]

That makes so much sense! Even worse than just having the ED, the entire Internet now knows and that is something that is so deeply private and personal; both when you have the ED and when you’re recovering. Eating disorders come with a high degree of shame and guilt and it’s such a huge violation of privacy that their parents are choosing to broadcast it instead of giving them space to recover peacefully.

[@clairebear-96]

@@Tiorg-g1u Yesss that’s so true, almost no one in my personal life knows i’ve had an ed, it’s like… it shouldn’t be embarrassing to talk about but it is anyway, and being 15 and having the whole internet having access to your mental health problems??? these poor children

[@Tiorg-g1u]

@@clairebear-96 In my experience, sharing out any mental health issues invites people to speculate on your appearance and behavior; and if its people that don’t know you well, it takes a lot of support and mental fortitude (ironically lol) to handle it. Its already hard as hell when its just a couple ignorant/inconsiderate people in your social cirle doing it, I can’t imagine having to deal with comments from thousands of people on the internet. At FOURTEEN years old. That’s just so young. And now they can’t even trust the support of their family because their parents will blab about it for views. Jeez, it gets worse and worse the more I think about it.

[@lizk555]

Agreed. This is totally unacceptable and a complete violation of their personal and medical privacy. I’m sick for them, and hope they are able to get the help they need and find a measure of peace.

[@Hyzentley]

Yeah, totally. As autistic, having people near for too long feels physically painful. This must be absolute horror not being able to escape this

[@lunatykica5636]

I grew up in an RV. It had 0 privacy yes, also hoarding combines with it terribly, but really importantly "the whole world is your backyard" is a massive lie: you cannot go frolicking in the grass when on the road for hours!

[@Tiorg-g1u]

The privacy bit sounds so tragic to me.....these kids don't get physical privacy because they're in a cramped small space with their entire family but they also don't have any digital privacy/agency. At least if they were regular family vloggers, the kids have an opportunity to leave the house or hide in another room if they don't want to be on camera but there's nowhere to go or hide for the RV kids.

[@ApequH]

How does anyone in the RV have sex (mastrubation or otherwise) with everyone else in earshot!

[@orthenight]

The most traumatic part to me was that my bed folded into the dining table. I didn’t have a permanent bed. Every morning I had to wake up and convert my bed to the table so everyone would eat. There was absolutely zero permanent space that was mine. No where to take a nap, no where to just exist in my own space. Never. No privacy. Couldn’t even lock myself in the bathroom to cry without my parents unlocking it and forcing me out.

[@orthenight]

Although tbh the most traumatic part was probably the kids who threw rocks at me on the bus, screamed “TRAILER TRASH” every chance they could and stopped being my friend when they found out I lived in an RV. That was probably worse.

[@iodoario684]

@@orthenight I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve this!! I hope you find peace, it's not your fault and the shame isn't yours to carry💚

[@h33-q8w]

Well maybe but usually when you live in an RV you are out in nature.. so you can just go outside and be by yourself or get away. There is pros and cons. But they can definitely get away if they want. Just not at night when it's time to go to bed 🤷

[@TheFitTherapist]

I saw very little of the nomads but what alarmed me was they showed Addison immediately leaving an ED treatment center and said that EDs had no known cause. I immediately tapped that “don’t show me this channel.”

[@DizzyOdd]

Good lord. I would do similar. Like lady, that doctor definitely mentioned the words "stress" , "pressure" , "unable to cope" , "feeling like you're lacking Agency in your life" like girl why are you so brazenly lying for money and putting your child in the middle of it??? Honestly family blogging is just evil.

[@alyssasmith5758]

Yes I remember seeing this, it pissed me off. I believe Jess's words were " Nothing causes it and nothing can be done to prevent it" Not to mention that it took the parents so long to notice even though they live in close quarters.

[@aeoligarlic4024]

That family is the shadiest i swear. One time it was Addison's birthday and all that kid wanted was a night at a hotel. But somehow they "couldn't afford it", or i'm not sure what happened exactly but they end up settling for a nice stay at an apartment-like room. I think that was the happiest faces i've seen on those children. All they wanted was a spacious bedroom for their own and a dining room that isn't miniscule

[@EeveelutionStorm]

They did worse. They checked her out. Which you can't do unless you do it against medical advice, because Addision was obviously undergoing treatment. They couldn't even walk from how much weight was lost but mom didn't care and said "I noticed it, but I didn't think it was IMPORTANT."

[@kindal5671]

yep and addison was diagnosed with autism and imo constantly moving around would be overstimulating for any child, but especially a child with autism.

[@stubbs3023]

There is a wife swap episode about this!! The RV dad gets super pissed with the ‘new’ wife makes them move to a house, but the kids are super excited and they end up moving into a house full time after the show!

[@VanessaChats]

There's also a Wife Swap AUSTRALIA episode around this where there's a wife in a home with kids that go to a private school vs a mum who homeschools/un-schools her kids in a bus (not an RV). Basically, in the end, the way it was edited showed that the "Bus life mum" was putting her own childhood trauma ONTO her kids and taking away their agency to choose versus looking at herself. The mum from the home-life opened the bus life dad's eyes. I always wondered what happened to that family (as it was filmed over a decade ago)

[@hamolton1]

Who knew that show's premise could have good consequences lol

[@Yeovelyn]

@@hamolton1 sometimes some families need outside perspective 😔

[@sophiagonzales8974]

@@VanessaChats do you remember exactly what trauma it was?

[@queenv22]

@@sophiagonzales8974the van mom didn’t like and do well in school, so she decided that her kids shouldn’t be schooled either. her 18 year old couldn’t read.

[@slitherysnake123]

My mom made me live like this. Wanna know what i did? I put all my videos on full blast and i said "if i had my own room, this wouldnt be a problem" and then we moved into an actual house

[@happykitch.n]

I’m sorry you had this experience. It sounds like you lived at least for a while in a situation that was very hard for you. Hope you’re okay now.

[@slitherysnake123]

@@happykitch.n thanks so much! I’m okay now. We lived in that van when i was 9 then moved out 12. We had a lot of money why waste it on a tiny van?!

[@lexarona300]

Like on KZbin?

[@adriannethornheart8516]

gonna steal this idea so i can get my own room

[@franklyalarming]

“Our kids wanted to do this, we communicate openly and they like it” my parents said the same thing about homeschooling me. I begged constantly to go to school with other kids. Being homeschooled for Christian fundamentalist reasons fucked me up so bad…

[@goldenboy3154]

Gd dude I wouldn’t wish that on my enemy

[@anti-usernamesaltaccount3623]

“Hey, do you kids want to go in an RV we think it’ll be cool” (Yes across the board) (Years later) “Yeah you didn’t actually have a choice btw why are you so antisocial and why do you hate our rv friends?????”

[@LAStrangerLA]

I see a lot of Christians doing this because they are worried about "indoctrination" of worldly ways. I think it's better to teach your kids that they are going to encounter different viewpoints in the real world and to teach them a sense of self so they know who they are amongst others. I went to a Christian college and some of the kids were raised so strictly that they went off the rails when they got a bit of freedom. One who was a pastor's kid said she no longer believed in God after getting a taste of freedom. Not exactly what her parents were expecting sending her to a Christian school I'm sure!

[@esval3054]

How are you doing now? I hope you're good.

[@katelynspov]

This is happening to me now :/ my mom keeps saying it will be good for me when I grow up but I don’t like it and I just want to have a normal life with friends at school. My mom is a Christian and I go to a homeschool. I don’t like it at all and wish my life was different..

[@TennyConductor]

It's baffling to me when the children have chronic conditions and the family still puts their lifestyle first. Getting regular medical care and meds is almost impossible if you're always on the road.

[@simplesimply3753]

This. I’m happy the family is finally at a stopping spot and I hope they realize they can’t continue on like this. Medical needs regular constant care.

[@HeyLeFay]

Especially when the child’s chronic condition is basically OCD/an eating disorder, which seems to be what PANS is. I know that people with OCD just love having constant, uncontrollable change to their environment and no private space to themselves!

[@EeveelutionStorm]

Because it'll be cheaper when the kid mysteriously goes missing and they find out mom and dad either got rid of the kid, by dumping them somewhere alone, or murdering them and hiding the corpse. No. These monsters really are that capable. The mom of Family of Nomads was fine, if Addision died apparently because her ED wasn't "important" to her, the vlogging was. Momm'ys narcissim was more important. Hey, Bad Mom if your reading this, YOUR A BAD MOTHER.

[@vbsenthusiast]

this!!

[@FluentWithHayley]

Yes, it totally is.

[@maring.9016]

When I was 13, my parents sold my late grandfather's home that we were living in and moved into an RV. My mother had been in the pursuit of becoming a content creator since the early 2000s, and had gone through many different things to try and succeed. She blogged about us (at the time, very young children), made videos of us, made us our own blogs, did cooking videos with us, you name it. So much of my life was spent wondering why my mother was behind her phone all the time. It is incredibly important to note, I was unschooled my entire life. She hated common core, and threatened us with sending us to public school, saying it would break us. What broke me was RV life. She was already a negligent, incredibly unreliable parent and her trying to put up a pretty front for content then turning around and neglecting the three of us was the cherry on top. This lifestyle is dangerous. It opens the door for indoctrinated, scared children who don't know how things actually work. I had to enroll in college with no high school diploma, and will never be able to explain the mental and emotional gap between me and the people who went to normal school and grew up in the same place all their lives. The parents don't know the damage they're doing, and it pains me to see these children go through the same shit I did and know that they're probably just as powerless to stop it. Fuck unschooling, and fuck RV life.

[@LAStrangerLA]

I worry about the "unschooled" kids. When I got pregnant my co-worker suggested I unschool because her sister did it. She said the kid got to pick what he wanted to "study" and it was video games. Oh hell, no! lol! My kids go to regular private school. Even homeschooling can be weird. My brother did a year and would meet occasionally with other homeschool kids. Most of them seemed really socially awkward and out of it - living in their own weird worlds. In my opinion the social aspect is equally important to the academic aspect of school. In retrospect, a lot of what I learned in school I don't need / use on a daily business. English, yes. Math, somewhat - but not the super advanced stuff. But social can really cause you depression and problems at work if you don't know how to interact with other people. The social aspect can make or break you career-wise.

[@idek7438]

​​@@LAStrangerLA Also, it's a pretty sad and dangerous view of life to only care about learning stuff if it's useful for you. It leads to a society of ignorant people who can't understand anything outside of their own little bubble of daily experiences. It also leads to more malleable and naive people to manipulate. I don't need to know what the DNA is in my daily life or what the Holocaust was and I didn't particularly care about it in school but at least if someone tries to convince me that vaccines will change my DNA or that the Holocaust didn't happen I can tell it's bullshit

[@sophieminter0]

Do you mean homeschool? I interpret unschool as the parents literally aren't teaching their child any math, English, or history

[@maring.9016]

@Sophie M I do not mean just homeschooling, and that is very much what that was. My mother gave us history lessons probably twice, and she never taught us math so I had to play math catch up when I was 16 and realized "hey I know like no math"

[@anakaliahaoa2551]

@@LAStrangerLA I think it could work with the right child. I was "homeschooled" through the district in the last two years of high school, due to medical conditions. As soon as it became clear I could teach myself out of books (I had been doing that for years and then using class to do homework or write fanfic), they dropped down to just enough time to give me tests and answer any questions I had. It was great at the time, as I no longer felt like I wasted all my time sitting in classes where I could get the same info for less work. But I liked learning new things. I still watch a lot of educational KZbin for fun, as an adult. It really, really takes the right sort of kid.

[@Cramboing]

As a ND teen yeah, this whole situation is terrible for the kids. There was this kid I knew when I was little who was depressed because he switched schools and lost all contact to his friends. The mother, oblivious, just kept on changing this kid's schools making him lose any friends he made over and over. I can't even think about how isolating and torturous, especially for ND kids, this 'life' is like. These parents should be arrested. One last thing: I DREAD staying in hotels because of the lack of space. And these kids WANTED to stay in a hotel for the privacy. Do you know how sad that really is? Hotel rooms are one of the least private family spaces but it was somehow BETTER than their actual home. Who wants to make bets that the kids are running out of there the moment they hit 18?

[@coyee2801]

North Dakota?

[@pho_is_not_interesting]

@@coyee2801 neurodivgergent (autism, adhd, etc)

[@ADADEL1]

Run to where? That's the normal problem with kids who grow up in say Amish communities. No education, no social structure (on the outside of the group), no useful skills. There is a good reason why people who try to leave groups like that drink themselves to death.

[@NitroIndigo]

The family went to an AirBNB, which is a rented house.

[@eleanorcooke7136]

Problem is, where are they going to run out to? They don't really have any idea of what the world is like due to being so cut off. When they leave, they'll be in a completely unfamiliar area because they move so much.

[@beatniksvintage]

My husband and I are full-time RVers and we definitely waited until our last child graduated and left home. This is not an easy-breezy lifestyle all the time. Not only that but everyone needs their own social circle, space, and privacy. I don't see how this can be good for kids for a long period of time. I am a digital nomad, and it pays all of our bills plus we are still able to save and travel. I love, love, love this lifestyle, I don't ever want to go back to living in a house. But again, I'd never do this with children over 4.

[@zalfany]

i appreciate that!

[@flower_productions7213]

Your the prime example of what most of these people should do, good on you for waiting, and may you continue enjoying the RV lifestyle

[@allisonthyne8080]

Ok ok io😅 poo😊

[@MsJubjubbird]

I think a lot of people are choosing this because mortgages, rent and the cost of living is so expensive. I know a lot off young adults that do this to avoid rent. But they are childness, not so nomadic and usually just drive the van from parking lot to parking lot or between the same handful of towns. But I can see it filtering down to young families. In Australia a lot of retirees buy these and go travelling around the country.

[@snuffbby602]

Your kids are going to take amazing care of you when you grow older

[@entitree.]

i just don't understand why it's always the families with the most kids who decide to go down the RV route

[@UrMissingSock]

Christians

[@jenniferwells2291]

Complete control over their kids. They get their own fiefdom and the more kids they have the more people they get to control (or abuse)

[@tinicoleofficial]

Selfish

[@mjsummer177]

​@@UrMissingSock most of them don't even believe in religion...

[@karenvonbargen4472]

Outliers in society

[@AlexandriatheRed]

In one of Nomad family’s new videos Jess talks about how she is so tired of being in Florida and so ready to start traveling again. Even if her kids don’t feel the same way, they sure know how mommy feels about it. If I were Addison, I would feel terrible that my medical issues were “holding up” mom’s travel plans.

[@Zectifin]

yeah I hate when someone is sick and they talk about "lost time". Unless they're in a coma, you can spend time with a sick person. In fact you should probably spend more time with them. My idea of fun is watching TV, playing a board game, or playing video games. I can do all that from home/a bed. It sounds like the parents wanted to go out and do fun things and they couldn't when their child was sick so now they have to make up "lost time" that they were prevented from doing and use that as an excuse to want to travel and say its making fun memories with the kids. I never wanted to go on vacations with my family. I just wanted them to do things together I liked doing and getting them to do anything together outside of going on a vacation or going to the movies was like pulling teeth.

[@xxmakeuplover05xx]

This begs the question, too, how do they receive medical care? Kids should be visiting dentists and doctors often and see a stable PCP....

[@MyDuckSaysFucc]

As someone who is chronically ill I cannot imagine being on a never ending trip. Literal hell. Sick people need a quiet place to live, private too.

[@Starburst514]

​@@xxmakeuplover05xxI don't watch a lot of the Nomad family, but I think I saw a short once that said they go back to their "home" state and town every few months for medical, and they have some kind of insurance that covers dental anywhere in the state? If it's not them, it was one of these travelling families that said that. Which...it's pretty weird, they were talking about "it's just a plane ride back to they're primary if it's urgent lol" or something like that. Like they returned to their home state for specific things and medical was one of them

[@sarinabina5487]

Will probably fail but i wonder if enough people (hundreds to thousands) report the family to the cps with their videos as proof if they'll investigate?

[@rosamy2017]

Whenever I see RV families I think “well didn’t we all used to be nomads? Weren’t a lot of native Americans nomadic, packing up and moving all the time?” But the difference is that nomadic people didn’t move every day, and they weren’t confined to a shipping container. Portable housing structures were larger, people would sleep in bigger communal sleeping areas, and they’d stay in one place for weeks or months. AND the groups traveling consisted of an entire village worth of people, not just one family. So there were still social structures and people to learn from.

[@tacticallemon7518]

yea, there’s a difference between “say goodbye to everyone you haven’t shared a “room” with” every week, and basically picking up your neighborhood and putting it somewhere else once or twice a month

[@sorryifoldcomment8596]

Yeah, not to mention that at the very least, the childhoods you're referencing *actually* prepared them for adulthood. The way they lived as children would be how they lived as adults. The work they did and the relationships they would need to maintain stayed the same. So not only did they get to travel with a whole community, but it was their community for life. Unlike these RV kids...even if they manage to cope living like that, it will come to an end when they become an adult. The community they will end up needing to rely on in adulthood will be completely different. To fit into their actual society, they will need an education and a stable job, which requires stable housing, while competing with adults who have way more experience living like that and fitting in. They won't just immediately move into another RV and continue doing what they did as a kid. Their social media success wasn't actually under their control and due to work which they can replicate on their own channel immediately (even if they wanted to). They basically built a business for their parents and got nothing out of it, not even a resume boost. If anything, it hurt their future prospects.

[@tacrewgirl]

This this this

[@Chelseabee55]

As an ex military kid who moved every 3 years or so, I HATED not having a stable friend group. I have always been envious of people who have a best friend they’ve known since they were little and stay friends as adults. I find it harder to have friendships as an adult.

[@creepskai9548]

Same here! Long lasting effects of socialization and the lack-there-of still linger in my adulthood

[@tiamystic]

Damn that’s me but on the other side of the relationship. My civilian ass went to middle school on an Air Force base.

[@elizabethgonzales9100]

I feel this so much and now that I’m older it’s harder to make friends cause of jobs and higher education and you feel like catching up because of the lost time but now you have all these new responsibilities so it seems almost impossible

[@alondra2317]

Same here. No military parents, but my dad’s job required him to move a lot. Never had stable friendships, and when I would get close, I would have to move again. It has affected me in so many ways and has made me really isolate myself. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I can definitely relate with being jealous of people who’ve had that long-time childhood best friend. It’s hard to make friends now. Adulthood is a nightmare.

[@Rumade]

My dad was an air force kid and said the same. When I was 6 years old he turned down a job on the other side of the world because he didn't want us to have to do the same.

[@bethknapp4935]

Let's be real, even if the kids hated it, the parents would still do it. Because ultimately the parents are in control financially, not the kids. If it was a financial reason for this, no other choice the kids would deal with it. But if having your own space, and a steady friend group is still an option, I think that 9 out of 10 would not choose this life.

[@Zectifin]

also these are kids and as a parent they should know asking them if something not in their best interest is ok doesn't mean they fully grasp it. Were constantly talking about how kids and teens aren't fully aware of the outcomes of their choices and thats why they can't consent to sex. Asking a 6 year old if its ok to go on a super fun trip and lose their home sounds fun until 6 months later they miss all their friends and are sad they can't have an animal and a familiar place outside of the vehicle. Then when the kid says they hate it the parent will say "but you said you liked the idea!" no shit. its a kid. they aren't thinking of all the posibilities and outcomes and you convinced them it would be fun.

[@Nl0R]

I once watch a mini documentary about a family sailing around the world. It was the dad's dream. They had 3 kids. The oldest was 14 and said he didn't want to go. So they went aheahd with the project but the kid went to boarding school... why didn't the parents do the trip before having kids? Or wait 10 more years when the kids are in their 20s? So selfish. No one forces you to be a parent but once you decide to be one, you have a duty to your kids wellbeing. Don't want to compromise? Don't have kids and enjoy your life! Or, instead of uprooting your kids, do the rv life only 2-3 months every year.

[@thepinkestpigglet7529]

Let me start out by saying I don't think this is a healthy lifestyle to raise kids in. But I'm pretty sure most kids would chose to nit go to school and get to travel.

[@xoch1717]

@@thepinkestpigglet7529 and then have no personal space and no community to rely on or go to for help? never really have friends or an adult that’s not your parents who you can trust?

[@mimiisek]

Maybe don’t breed shitload of times when you can’t afford it lmao🙄

[@longlivebeans]

I’d rather get thrown into oncoming traffic than live in an RV with my entire family. We can’t even swing a 3 hour day trip without a brawl breaking out.

[@charlie7331]

SAME LMFAO

[@yamomma8560]

literally

[@chaaaargh]

fr i would do a barrel roll out of the car 😭

[@verybarebones]

Ok but that just sounds like your family has issues, rv or not

[@mandi3891]

@@verybarebones That's just a very common family dynamic, especially with younger kids. I've always loved my family very much, but when me and my younger siblings were younger, we argued a lot. Since becoming adults we have grown out of it, but when we were kids/teens we needed a lot of space to get along.

[@viciousqueen5096]

As a social work student who spent hours learning about child development and the importance of a private space to retreat, exploring on your own, stability and the importance of peer groups at any age, this makes all of my alarm bells go off.

[@anniewlo]

Yes, it is entitled child neglect and abuse, for sure.

[@salishanmusic]

The definition of child abuse/endangerment/ etc changes depending on how much money the family has. Being a vanlifer is basically gentrified homelessness.

[@genevieve222]

yes!!!

[@Ziaberry]

That's such a good point. A lower class family living out of a van with their kids is child abuse and neglect. A rich white family doing the exact same thing is "cool" and "exciting"

[@verybarebones]

Homelessness with a home? Gentrification that doesn't limit access to resources?

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@verybarebones it limits access to a normal sized mattress

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@verybarebones also living in a van =\= having a home. you don’t have an address lmao.

[@williehornung]

moving around a lot and “making friends all over the country” just teaches you that relationships are not dependable and not to be trusted or to get invested in. :/ socializing MORE isn’t necessarily better if you’re not in one place long enough to form actual friendships

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

Like after the first couple of stops I’d probably just stop trying to make friends altogether

[@orthenight]

I was an RV kid. I went to 6 different elementary schools. Also I’m an only child. I’m GOOD at making new friends everywhere I go. Didn’t mean they stayed friends with me when I lived in an RV. Throwing rocks at me, screaming “TRAILER TRASH” and just 100% stopped speaking to me once they found out I didn’t live in a house. So even if you’re good at making friend, it doesn’t mean they’ll be kind.

[@freetobree5323]

I agree. I moved a lot because my mom was poor so we were couch to couch my whole childhood, and while I see the value in meeting lots of people, I never learned how to invest in a relationship, or how to discern what relationships were worth investing in

[@Yeovelyn]

Yesss quality over quantity

[@tamara2641]

Friend yes! I struggled a lot with this an adult. I never stayed at a school more than two years and struggled to make friends and connections. Luckily I was able to make a core group of 6 friends but have struggled to make other friendships as an adult.

[@flatwoodsdaemon]

FamilyOfNomads literally JUST put out a video stating that Addison is back in treatment. Between that and Addison's wish to spend a few days in an AirBNB, it is genuinely upsetting and frustrating that the mum specifically seems so blind to the fact that it is DEFINITELY RV life that is making Addison feel so bad. Like, oh jeez, of course the kid forced to be in this cramped space with little to no real privacy is not doing good mentally! No matter if you did it "for them" or not - and by the way, what a shitty excuse that is. They got sick so your solution was to remove yourself from your previous life entirely and isolate them from friends with no education?! Are you nuts?! The mum ALWAYS goes on and on about "missing their bed", it seems - she did that a video where they went to Disneyworld too. She's being ridiculously selfish. Without getting too into speculation - I would say that the constant filming and cramped space are possibly the causes for Addison's ED. It's probably a subconsious thing to "stay small" so they don't get even more cramped in that awful space. They can't even sit up straight in there. There's no space for them to do anything. They can't do normal teenage things like dancing around in the room to music, for example. Maybe I'm extra upset because I'm an autistic trans person too, but I can't help but want to sock the mum in the face and tell her to actually pay attention to her kids and the BLATANT signs that they are giving her that they want OUT.

[@scootscoot3874]

The saddest thing is, if Addison gets bad enough to be sectioned, that’ll be the closest thing to privacy they’ll get... and that’s in a high-security institution

[@hannahb2306]

Right like “let me blast my child’s diagnosis all over the Internet but ignore the incredibly glaring common denominator!” Like if your child wants privacy so badly all they want for their birthday is to stay at a fixed location with a locking door, that should tell you something.

[@andromeda7758]

I don't think it's a far reach to speculate. It's unfortunately common that when children feel they have no control in their life, they turn to the few things they can control and sometimes food is the thing. Food restriction is a form of regaining control (in a not so healthy way).

[@seresimarta4436]

​@@andromeda7758 Yes, ED is normally about control over your life and body.

[@zoe4299]

In the past, I struggled with eating. I will not claim to have an eating disorder as I was never diagnosed with one - however, I was avoiding food and actively disgusted by it. I could not agree more that it has to do with control. When you lack the ability to make any decisions or change in your life, you will find ways to control something, anything, including eating. At Addison's age, I doubt her ED is stemming from body image issues. I think it is most likely because she does not have any independence or control over her life at all. Again, speculation, not facts.

[@harlander-harpy]

I feel like theres a high correlation between calling your child Enoch and being insane

[@livor4]

the venn diagram is a circle

[@pho_is_not_interesting]

I wasn't brave enough to say it myself, but this is so fucking real

[@milly-y1t2d]

Hahaha

[@sydneymaurine9062]

I second this

[@sarinascales7368]

Enoch is the name of one of the kids in mrs peregrine's home for peculiar children

[@erinmariecece]

Family of Nomads is clearly a case of someone projecting their dreams onto their kids. You can tell that those kids want stability, but Jess spends all her time defending it on tiktok to strangers that “they love it!” I’m sure they love aspects of it, but they are probably afraid of speaking up about wanting something else.

[@1996soccerbabe]

The we talked to our kids about the “I’m an rv kid I hate my life” thing that went around really said a lot for me…

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

I hate how smug so many of these parents sound. As if their kids are better just because they live in an RV

[@sophiagonzales8974]

The fact that their oldest child wished for a hotel

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

@@sophiagonzales8974 And not just a nigh or a weekend in a hotel, but a whole week in one.

[@sophiagonzales8974]

@@rosesweetcharlotte I guess that says something about how much the kids don't really want a van.

[@kaiipop4762]

i feel so bad for the kids as it's clear that their parents are projecting their own dreams on their kids, and tend to speak for their kids rather than letting them speak for themselves

[@ravenpotter3]

Also they probably won’t want their kids to speak negatively about them online or in videos. Especially if they are trying to create and maintain a image of a healthy happy family that never argues and everyone is happy. Kids will be pressured to be positive in situations like that especially if they can’t easily escape from their parent’s watch since they have no privacy in their rooms or at school away from their parents.

[@orthenight]

100% the reason we lived in an RV was so my dad could follow his dreams and passion projects. Those were more important than us having a house.

[@gPrussia11]

But parents do get to decide the child’s lifestyle and their childhood. when kids grow up they get to live their dreams and their lifestyle.

[@prixe12]

@@gPrussia11 That's not really the point. Parents are supposed to do what's best for their children. And it seems like these two are only doing what's best for themselves.

[@kimberlyoldschool]

My mom moved four hours away and lived in a hotel room for two years to keep her job so that she didn’t have to uproot me during my last two years of high school. She was 100% right on this - I was undiagnosed ADHD and having a hard enough time managing tough classes and relationships in the town and school system I’d been in my whole life. Adults who are all, “kids are natural nomads, they love traveling, they love constant change!” are self-centered, oblivious, and have apparently never met a shy, anxious, introverted, or neurodivergent kid.

[@kgoofy3297]

My mom was an army brat and grew up everywhere. When my parents got divorced she bought a house three streets away from my dad and commuted to work three hours each way. She didn’t have to. But I appreciate it.

[@snehaharkut6739]

Kids thrive on routine. Ofcourse sometimes changes are inevitable and they do build resilience, however, moving around the country with your parents and homeschooling is not healthy.

[@Asmodeuslvr]

As someone who is currently going through all of what the oldest kid is going through, autism diagnosis (im getting tested), an ED and being non-binary, i dont know how they're able to even cope at all with this living situation without freaking out on their mom 😭

[@defintitlynotAhsoka]

Same. I have no idea how that kid is doing it.

[@evaahallows1102]

Symptoms of asd: Having trouble with change Needing constancy Being distressed when plans change unexpectedly or last minute (Which invariably happens when you travel, if they even have a plan) Aforementioned sensory issues CAUSING Overwhelm/shutdown/meltdowns which require dark quiet alone space to recover (which they almost certainly do not have) However fun or interesting the experience, even just for a vacation, travel is a hellish experience when you have asd. To be constantly traveling? That's my worst nightmare.

[@justalittleturtle5600]

Oh, I have a feeling that poor girl and her mother have a horrible relationship. If it’s anything like the relationship I had with my mother, it’s incredibly toxic and abusive, and her mother probably manipulates her, gaslights her, and hurts her, all while blaming the problems the mother creates on the daughter.

[@martymcfly88mph35]

Get off of tiktok and try to fix your relationship with your dad and things will work themselves out. You don't need silly pronouns that are "so hot right now" thanks to Chinese Spyware

[@yeahreally9185]

I was "unschooled" and "nomadic". It was incredibly isolating and unstable, and so was the parent who chose that life for me.

[@clemmebot1289]

I was homeschooled (mainly unschooled) for most of my primary and high school education due to being chronically ill and it was some of the worst years of my life. It was so isolating, and any homeschool events that we're held were mainly for younger kids, so I was usually the eldest kid there, leading to me being the babysitter of the group (ie the parents would leave their kids in my care for the duration of the meet up). I didn't attend a public high school until 9th grade, and I'm a senior now. Going to a public school after being so isolated is harrowing. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Even now, I still find myself feeling like I'd missed out on a good chunk of my school life.

[@vanillathebard]

"They spend so much time outside" BECAUSE THEY DONT HAVE PERSONAL SPACE OTHERWISE. I would probably end up having a break down if I were forced to live in such an enclosed space with so many people.

[@RachelA-o5o]

Last year a teenager from an RV vlogging family posted an anonymous Reddit post about how terrible it was. Many suspected it was Adison from Family of Nomads. Whoever it was, was so sad and frustrating to read :( The original post was deleted but the thread is still there and you can find it read on KZbin too ("I’m a teen in a full-time RV living vlogging family and I can’t fucking stand it.")

[@tiffanyferg]

Yes I found that one too! It’s really sad - I can’t imagine essentially hating my life but being forced to seem happy & excited about it on camera

[@soveryeri2]

It was fake

[@aloeleaf]

@@soveryeri2 how do you know?

[@natsuki7325]

​@@soveryeri2 Suuuuure

[@coconuto7]

the original post was also uploaded on the wayback machine if anyone wants to read it

[@kitsune.963]

As someone with sensory issues I would go absolutely insane being around so many people all the time.

[@frenzy2061]

Same. Because of my sensory issues, having to share a room with my sister made me develop anxiety around sleep that I still deal with to this day. And we had a decent sized room, I can't even imagine how these kids must feel.

[@beverlyarcher3744]

I can barely stand being around my own family luckily there's only three of us living in this trailer dad my brother and I and they both work nights so we don't see much of each other outside a few hours a day and the weekends

[@dedel1303]

Yes, same thing !!! Having a personal calm and non-sensory exposing space is absolutely vital, as an autistic person probably more for me than most but still for anybody ! Having a place in which you feel safe, in control and can call your own is so important !!!

[@meganfaith4052]

I love my family but I need physical privacy. I need at least an hour every single day where no speaks to me, or even looks in my direction.

[@michellebaynton]

There's a new book coming out that talks about a life similar to the ones you're describing. It's called Wavewalker: Breaking Free by Suzanne Heywood. Her parents basically upended her and her brother's lives to sail around the world (supposed to take 3 years, actually took 10 years). It basically sounded like a complete nightmare. Incredibly dangerous conditions, total isolation, no privacy and almost no education to speak of. I can't even imagine living in an RV like this, let alone at sea...

[@nikkimaxwell7695]

the sad part about this is that i think the parents wrote a book/memoir about this as well even worse, a part of the book (or the memoir itself) where they encountered a really bad storm off cape town (suzanne sustained severe head injury) has been adapted for a widely used school textbook the parents are painted as heroes in it and they had the audacity to put in smth that their son allegedly said : "we're not afraid to die if we're together" it's not even highlighted in said textbook that the voyage was 10 years instead of 3

[@katelynbrown98]

Damn. Wtf kind of statement is that? That's tragic. It's literally what you say when that's all you know! My heart hurts for those kids.

[@nandinipenmetsa4602]

​@nikkimaxwell7695 dude, we had this as a part of our textbook back when I was I school , I vividly remember the dialogue of their son and potraied their parents as heros , crazy to know the actual pov 😳

[@semoremo9548]

Just wanna say also that, those kids definitely are aware of the sacrifice it'd be for the family to go back to living in a regular house. I was 8 when my parents divorced and I spent more than 10 years changing from one house to the other every single week, mostly because even as an 8 year old I already was aware of all this, and that pressure and guilt is INCREDIBLY real. I wouldn't be surprised if most of these kids never said anything about quitting the rv life purely so they don't burden their family, or at the very least, it'll most likely take them a lot longer to confess it. Even if the kids currently like this life, that pressure is still on them, and they're still going to worry about "what if I stop liking it one day?". Basically put, these parents are putting an unnecessary burden and pressure on their kids, and no kid should EVER have to worry about any of this.

[@tacrewgirl]

Because if the kids don't appear as if they are enjoying it, then the dollars dwindle, and then you have even less stability than before because now financials are in a crux. Unless, they have the ability to guilt-free move in with family/friends or their parents have easily transferrable jobs that can land them in a stable environment, they are using their kids for props and guilting them. It's unfair and not right.

[@morganunraveled]

THIS! I knew how much my single mom struggled and I wouldn’t mention when I needed new socks, deodorant etc, I would try to make things go a longgg way. I was 9. kids are very aware of their financial burden on the family.

[@camelopardalis84]

You can manipulate your children in a benevolent way: If you are doing something (e.g. RV living) that has an alternative (living more normal) they might actually be more comfortable with, test it out. Stop doing the possibly less favourable thing for a while and start doing the possibly more favourable thing. Then, while still doing the possibly more favourable thing, ask them whether they would like to go back to doing the possibly less favourable thing. It's not a sure-fire way to find out, but it's likely to lead to a franker answer.

[@CocoLicious]

My best friends son is 5 and he talks endlessly in Kindergarten and with friends since he basically can talk about wanting to live more with one parent and when he was asked by a social worker for the court case he said that he wants to continue to do it 50/50 so that the parents don't get sad.

[@GlimmerOfAComet]

Literally the reason me and my siblings didn't tell anyone about our abusive father all our lives was because we realized we'd have no income without him, and we realized this as soon as we started school. I imagine the pressure of keeping it together must be even worse when YOU are the moneymaker with parents shoving cameras in your face in an RV with nowhere to go.

[@Free-g8r]

If you thought it was bad being a teen isolated in the suburbs with no independence. Then being a teen stuck in their parents' RV adventure lifestyle will absolutely crush your soul.

[@mikiwilliams4133]

​@@agutier2023 if you are under 18 your parents must send you to school by law in the us and uk

[@William_Nowin]

​@@mikiwilliams4133 that's not true in the slightest for the us

[@anti-usernamesaltaccount3623]

@@mikiwilliams4133No, it is not. (US) It depends heavily on the state you legally live in, and most of the ones whose school system I know of either have little to no homeschool requirements or no checking of said requirements.

[@ooooo3999]

The main issue I have with RV life is that you have to park in places where RV’s park to sleep at night. So like truck stops, parks, random parking lots and streets, etc. A truck stop may be safe for an adult male truck driver but would not be the safest place for kids. Same with things like wal mart parking lots.

[@loveu8910]

@Girlys51dont you have to rent those places

[@rebeccanater]

I was at whole foods and saw a teen getting food and climbing into a converted school bus. He looked so embarrassed, and the parents had spray painted their family channel on the side. I checked out the channel and it had like 77 followers.... imagine uprooting your whole family and not even getting adsense/sponsers.

[@Thisismyhandle329]

What was the channel

[@rebeccanater]

@@Thisismyhandle329 i honestly cant remember, it was like "the johnsons family channel" which i also thought was weird, that they plastered their name on their car/home with children inside

[@annagarnet1232]

😮That’s how desperate people are for this content creator/ influencer life. They choose a lifestyle that they can create content from rather than creating content about their lifestyle and living that way because they genuinely want to.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

That's so sad. When it comes to the parents, it's also pathetic.

[@aeoligarlic4024]

​@@annagarnet1232 being an influencer really is today's "i wanna be an actor"

[@sofapop653]

My problem with Addison’s space is that it seems like a fire hazard. I’m always terrified in my traditional home of a fire and how we would need to get out. Imagine a fire breaking out and Addison is way up in that crawl space, how quickly could they really get out? It doesn’t seem safe!

[@aeoligarlic4024]

Also it's just terrible to put a teen on a space like that, shared with other 2 siblings too!

[@sofapop653]

@@aeoligarlic4024 I always shared a room, and it sucked, but is also pretty normal. The type of space, unable to sit up, move around, have normal furniture, is the bad aspect. These parents are probably able to have a normal home, and just like the commenter said their content would still probably do well. They’d probably be able to afford a home where all the children could have their own room. They’d probably even be able to travel occasionally. With the health conditions presented by them, they should move into a standard home.

[@esval3054]

I think it has an emergency exit (she can easily kick it)

[@sofapop653]

@@esval3054 I wonder how that’s work, how would they climb down? Kick it and then what? I’m genuinely curious.

[@Sarsaparilla0519]

Entire family for many is like 3-4 people, but for some reason the entire family for these people is mom, dad, 10 kids, grandma, auntie, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a goldfish. And somehow mom and dad get a king bed, but the kids sleep on the couch or floor, and grandma sleep on the roof 😭

[@melanino]

Not the roof😂 the auntie sleeps outside🤣

[@CaptainSoftboy501]

😭😭😭☠️☠️☠️☠️

[@uribove]

This feels oddly accurate... And I don't want to make wrong conclusions in terms of correlation and causation, but most high education families reduce the amount of children yet mostly rv families are big families Make of that what you want 😉😉

[@c12486]

Goldfish sleeps on the dashboard

[@uribove]

@@c12486 nono IN THE DASHBOARD, it's such an old bus that there's water inside of it

[@meenal.almthu]

Coming back to this after Family of Nomads has recently decided to move into a house!! I can’t believe that for once they are making a good decision for themselves and their children. Jess definitely seems to be the most sad about it.

[@beverlyarcher3744]

Of course she's the only one that loves rving

[@janegerow5974]

They moved in and promptly got a divorce. She is now living with a woman and traveling in Europe with her and the two younger kids. Not sure moving that fast could be considered a good decision 😮

[@heartpng]

The "they make tons of friends!" part really hits for me. I moved around a lot as a kid, probably 8ish times before my late teens, and I learned at an early age to stop bothering to try to make close friends with other kids my age. I had a lot of social learning catching up to do once we settled; I didn't really have the skills or understanding of how it felt to have close friends, which is super important for kids and young adults! Imo stability is 100% necessary when it comes to developing as a well adjusted person.

[@gillianbarth5927]

Same....we moved around when I was a kid and changed schools a lot. I still have this habit of just letting friends drift away entirely when they or I move, and not even trying to stay in touch. In my mind you have friends while you're conveniently close, but there's no point letting them get close enough that it will really suck to lose them. In some ways, I'm developmentally delayed just from that lack of stability and socialization. It's given me some real issues as an adult that I'm still working on.

[@Allison1111]

For real, they constantly say “they make friends all over! They have lots of friends!” even though their friends are all online or see them every now and then. I saw a video from some van life family addressing the no friends thing saying that there’s a RV meet up yearly and they see tons of friends then. How did they not hear how ridiculous that sounds? They can only see their friends once a year and only for a few days.

[@orthenight]

I was an RV kid and when the other kids found out I lived in an RV they threw rocks at me, screamed “TRAILER TRASH” and all my friends stopped speaking to me because they didn’t want to be associated with a kid who lived in an RV park. So yeah, it’s not great.

[@annagarnet1232]

I don’t think that they’re really friends. Just kids they play with for a while.

[@Gambole]

@@gillianbarth5927Same. I had great friends every place we lived but I never kept in touch once we moved away. I felt awkward and like they would just be carrying on with their lives and would have forgotten about me or wouldn’t be interested. Plus I was dealing with the stress of trying to make a new group of friends. My current close friends are people I met 20 years ago at the age of 25. It makes me sad that i don’t still know any of my childhood friends.

[@striderleigh478]

It’s starting to feel like one of the best gifts you can give a child is keeping them off of social media as long as possible.

[@sendnoodle5]

I must admit it was a good thing mom made me take down my Myspace as a teenager.

[@martah5369]

I think it's just weird to think that my one year old would have a story online before she can properly speak. I even hate the idea of anyone finding my blog posts from uni years. Grandparents sometimes posts about her but I've asked them not to post her face. There's a lot of weird pressure about giving children social media presence.

[@laurenheard5187]

Any parent who describes traditional teaching as "reading a textbook" obviously doesn't understand the first thing about teaching a classroom. (From a current teacher) Teachers are usually the first ones to see the signs that a child may have Autism, dyslexia, a personality disorder, etc. Identification of these kids is crucial to getting them support, and parents oftentimes aren't educated on what that support is, so they don't end up giving it. I'm happy the nomad family is giving their teen proper outside support.

[@Deceitful_Jester]

It's wonderful that where you're from, it sounds like children actually get help for disabilities in school. Where I live, you're just humiliated and left behind to drown if you're dyslexic or neurodivergent and you get sent to a public school, or even a decent private school.

[@goblinguy3103]

This is a pretty privileged comment, assuming all schools actually care about their students, but I agree it’s 100% necessary to be around other people. These kids will need extensive therapy, especially around boundaries. I won’t agree with “schools normally notice” since I grew up with over 20 teachers not noticing anything “wrong” with me

[@bokboman]

This is not in defense of rv families nor in offense of your comment but I can't say I agree. Multiple professionals and people who have known me for nearly or all of my life tell me I've shown symptoms for my autism and anxiety for a very, very long time. And at no point in all of my school experience was that acknowleged. But I really love that this seems to be slowly improving.

[@evelyn-nm6iy]

i got screamed at, laughed at and punished by teachers for simply being autistic and having adhd, i got rejected from several mental health services at 13 for being 'too severe a case', i got kicked out of therapy 2 weeks after a major attempt because i missed 1 appointment, teachers shouted at me and told me i was lying during severe panic attacks, its great that where you are this isnt the case, but for a lot of people they either go through similar or worse experiences than me, i would have hated living in an rv but school and adolecent mental health services did far more harm than being homeschooled would have done, my experience of school was "reading a textbook" you have a very privelaged experience, and its ok to have that, but dont pretend its not privelaged

[@rusi6219]

Average teacher iq: 101

[@BonnieBuggie]

god I’m so glad my family was too poor to buy an rv. my mom was OBSESSED with buying an rv and traveling around, and now she’s obsessed with tiny homes too, AND she insisted on homeschooling and unschooling us as teenagers, so we absolutely could’ve been like one of those families, and it would’ve been BAD. she and my sister get along like oil and water, and as it was there were massive screaming fights in a _regular_ house. my sister has lots of sensory issues, diagnosed adhd and possible autism, and I can’t imagine how bad it would’ve gotten with the four of us crammed into a tiny rv. genuinely i think it would’ve broken our family apart irreparably

[@lucyo2919]

I remember how hard it was for me to tell my parents that I didn’t want to take piano lessons anymore; I can’t imagine having to tell them that I want them to change our entire life, yikes!!

[@callerunknown]

Same, I remember crying when I told my mom I didn't want to do violin anymore. And she had always stressed that it was my choice and I could quit any time I wanted! It sounds so stressful and hard to be one of those kids

[@ritaevergreen7234]

@@callerunknown my Mom pressured me to play an instrument because my sister had done the flute and she was really good at it. I remember my mom tried to deny how it was her who pressured me and not me deciding to do it so she would stop asking me. Anyways I didn’t like it and it was causing me burnout due to untreated health problems. She did the same with my brother with a learning disability and he never liked it either. My sister ended up telling me that although she enjoyed it she stopped because she felt it was uncool to play an instrument by her peers.

[@Marie-sx5jb]

I recently saw a video where the parents "showed off" how their kids have everything they need after receiving critical comments. They lived in a 3 story bunk bed in the hall while the parents had a queen size bed in a separate room. I think it's abusive to refuse children and especially teenagers privacy.

[@bs4e644]

Yeah they had an office space and a full closet, but the three kids slept on shelves. And they were so nonchalant in the comments.

[@luckyystrikerr]

I think I know which family you’re talking about. Each kid only has a cupboard to themselves.

[@SilverstreamPJ28]

Don't be shy share the channel name 😬

[@Peridot420]

@@SilverstreamPJ28 my guess is this family kzbin.infoKP5TAasiBCw?feature=share

[@Marie-sx5jb]

@@SilverstreamPJ28 Ouf, good question. It showed up on my FYP, I don't remember the channel, sorry. Maybe Natalia Urzua knows more than me?

[@milliemoo7065]

as someone who's had an ED for the vast majority of my life, the stuff with Addison is like really concerning. there's lots of stuff about enmeshment within the family and specifically with a child having a lack of control or privacy in their lives leading to being overly controlling or focused on food, forming into a ED. idk but I hope that they're doing well in recovery!

[@skunkjo3195]

Same boat. The lack of privacy and security, lack of stable friendships to help you through... But also having your growing n changing body being recorded and posted online all the time. It sounds like a hell-hole. I'm so sorry for them

[@emjackson7298]

I have a unique perspective on this. My parents moved our 7 member family to slab city CA in November of 2014. We were getting evicted from our house in Oregon, where we had all grown up. Our family and friends and all we knew, we had to leave. Me and my siblings were all under 10 at the time. We had to sell half our stuff to make enough money. This all was my dads idea he wanted to move back to his hometown and said we'll "figure it out" when we got there. I remember being so stressed that we were moving so far away and we didn't even have a plan or house lined up. This lead to 4 years of off-grid living in the desert. This was absolutely my dads dream that he forced on all of us. Whenever we would bring up moving somewhere else, he would say "Why, we're doing it!". He was extremely abusive and my mom eventually got us away. I can't even begin to explain the effects this kind of lifestyle has on kids growing up. The no stability, no privacy, no life, friends, family. It all comes together to destroy a childs mind frame and sanity. I was a completely different kid before we moved there and now I'm just trying to heal. Well away thanks for listening. 💕

[@kohako106]

i feel so sorry for you and your family, that’s no place any child should be in. i hope you are doing well now, thank you for sharing

[@martymcfly88mph35]

Thats absolutely horrible. A father is supposed to be the rock of the family, the pillar that keeps the house up and safe. Not ruining his family for his own dreams.

[@leoniericciotti]

Slab City is no place for children

[@rachelmcardle50]

"Addison just wanted to stay home and watch movies with the family for their birthday"... umm did they really have another options? They don't have local friends to go and celebrate with.

[@sirin4248]

Nah but fr tho what did they expect that kid to do??💀

[@AidanKedzierski]

As an autistic person, the noises of five other people falling asleep or sleeping plus rv and nature sounds would make it nigh impossible for me to decompress or fall asleep. I have trouble when I share hotel rooms or dorms. And I also have extreme trouble maintaining friendships so like. Moving around that much would make me lonely and frustrated and just a mess. I’m terrified of moving because I’m scared of losing the friends I have and at a loss of how to make new ones in a new place. So I really really feel for Addison. And I’m also non-binary and have other illness so. I’m just. Shaking hands with Addison hoping they’re holding on okay.

[@mattcottrell3286]

Same!!!!!!!!! On all counts.

[@allisond.46]

As another autistic person, I would not be able to live like a military family because of the friendship thing. That would also apply here, plus the challenges of sharing a small space with my parents, two siblings, and a cat.

[@Sophia0938]

You ever went on vacay with your family, share a hotel room, and you got a parent snoring so loud it drives you mad? This RV life seems like that universal experience times 100

[@mattcottrell3286]

@@Sophia0938 hell. on. earth.

[@HeyLeFay]

It became especially frustrating when I read what PANS(the health condition that Addison was previously diagnosed with) was- it’s basically sudden onset childhood OCD. I’m sure that makes living in an RV with your entire family so much better!

[@Sabrina-sc1db]

First thing I saw from Family of Nomads was a video about Addison being 14 and making a video about learning how to cook, and they wanted to learn, not because of cooking and eating and whatever, but because they were thinking ahead about moving out At 14 FOURTEEN YEARS OLD THINKING ABOUT MOVING OUT AND PREPARING FOR IT It just sounded awful Also, I have a personal feeling that Addison feels hella guilty that they are on the RV life because they got sick as a child. It's a theory, nothing to back it up, just my feeling.

[@MsDesignDiva]

Just my opinion, but I think once Addison turns 16 and gets her own drivers licence, they should absolutely get a van and build it out to be their own individual home on wheels, way different lifestyle than a full family in a small RV all crammed together. Even if they still travel to the different campsites with the rest of the fam, at least Addison would have their own space. It would mean paying for gas and insurance for another vehicle but it'd be worth it.

[@jasminelambert3753]

@@MsDesignDiva I wonder where they technically live according to the government. Depending on what state Addison gets their license in, they might not be allowed to drive outside of the state until they’re 18. The state I live in let’s you drive wherever when you’re 16 if your parents don’t put restrictions on it but my cousins live in a state where you don’t technically get your full license until 18 and you can’t drive past certain times or out of state until then

[@an-enby-panda7840]

Addison uses they/them, people

[@leeh4669]

See, I was about to be like “oh this is normal! at 14 I was looking at dream apartments online and planning my college dorm room!” but then I remembered that I was a very anxious child and saw learning adult skills as a way to ‘prepare’ for a future I couldn’t control. I hope that this kid actually wants to live in a van like the mom claims, but it makes me sad to think that it’s more likely they may be dealing with something similar.

[@schoo9256]

I was going to comment that there is a chance Addison is using they/them pronouns as a way to feel some control over her/their life, and that I wouldn't be surprised if the next step was an eating disorder. And then I read a comment that actually stated Addison has an ED. That poor kid. Structure is especially important for autistic people, who feel loosely tethered to an understanding of society at best.

[@amyanna969]

the fact that she’s been diagnosed with an ed aswell really says something. most of the time when someone developes an ed it’s because they feel they have no sense of control or safe space so food becomes something you control and your safe space.

[@keeweebir]

They*

[@katrin1334]

Hold on, she wanted to stay at a hotel for her birthday and her entire family comes with her. Then she "misses her bed" and is the only one to go back to the RV? SHE WANTED TO BE ALONE LOL.

[@sofarber5158]

Youre right but allison goes by they/them lol

[@aveldun1365]

It was the mom I think that went back to sleep in the rv

[@MidnightL2008]

It was the mom that went back to sleeping in the rv. Not the kid

[@jenniferwells2291]

Sounds like mom wanted to be alone if she's the one who went back into the RV

[@shaybayyy333]

@@sofarber5158 well she’s one person and has a vagina so is that in make believe world?

[@Cali100]

I know I am late to these comments, but wanted to share. I work full time in child psychiatry. The kids who do the absolute WORST are those who have had very unstable environments. They develop isolation and lack of trust in others and it has serious implications on their development and happiness. This includes kids who have moved very often, been in foster care or even been in military family systems. Also, kids are smart. They internalize what the parents want to the point of not being honest. It happens in many, many situations and then they do not tell the truth or advocate for themself. Kids also aren't developed enough to be capable of making the decision to be on the internet for the rest of their life and "paying for work" incentivizes in the face of power imbalance is also hugely problematic. The frontal lobe isn't done forming until mid twenties. No.

[@audreyinok]

As someone who moved a lot, 6 different schools before settling in one state/town/school district all before 7th grade…. I can absolutely say that I do struggle with trusting others and happiness surrounding relationships. I feel overwhelmed around people, and secure when isolated until I become sad because I’m lonely. uphill battle for sure.

[@alisonf6478]

I don’t disagree with you, and I have worked to maintain a stable house Pre and post (amicable!) divorce. But I do question the idea of “stable”. If the family unit is stable, open, safe and then happens to move around, isn’t that also a type of “stability”? I am a former caseworker, so I also understand the trauma lots of kids go through within the foster care system. But that’s moving locations and a lack of a stable family unit (often, not always).

[@Cel3ere5]

It's mind blowing to me that the diagnosis of Addison is originally PANS, took 5 years to stabilize, and then they hit the road??? I feel like this is less about seeking freedom and more about being on the run. However, it seems like the parents, particularly the mother, learned one cannot out run mental illnesses. Especially EDs. Poor kid.

[@jmsnsage]

Thanks for sharing Cali! I’m a psychology student and would love to learn more about this topic. Do you have any research papers that you would recommend?

[@oliearts8074]

@@alisonf6478I’m not a psychologist so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I feel like kids need stability outside of just their home and family. A consistent social circle and hangout spots. They need people to talk to and close relations outside of whoever they’re financially dependent on until they’re eighteen-no matter how healthy the family is, there’s going to be certain things they don’t feel comfortable sharing with their parents and they need other options.

[@app1escruff]

It’s SO sad that these parents downplay the importance of learning social skills early and building them throughout childhood. My dad’s employment was inconsistent growing up, and my large family moved so often that people assumed we were military. My parents would always act like it was great to have “friends” all over the country, but it’s hard to have a meaningful long-distance friendship, virtually impossible as a CHILD, and it put a huge burden on us to stay in touch with kids who couldn’t have cared less bc THEY had local friends. Also, it’s not like we could afford to revisit the places we’d lived on vacations. All of the kids in my family were undiagnosed autistic/ADHD and now that we’re adults, we all struggle to maintain friendships because the only lifelong relationships we ever had were with each other. Fortunately that’s made us closer than a lot of siblings, but it’s unfortunate that it’s largely a result of trauma. Also, because I’m the only girl in my family, I desperately crave close female friendship and but I’m totally unequipped to build one. None of my siblings have friends from before we were 18-most of us don’t have friends, PERIOD. I can’t even IMAGINE how much harder it is for kids who have never even attended school. SO sad.

[@alondra2317]

my god, your comment triggered me so much because i can relate. it’s like you took a flame and a mirror and set me on fire with some of the things i’ve gone through/have come to see in my life and i’m forced to watch it all.

[@heehoopeanut420]

this is very very well said. Especially that first part like wow, that sums it up.

[@app1escruff]

@@alondra2317 Ugh, I’m SO sorry for triggering you but I hope it helps to know that you’re not alone. For me, it’s important to just make the most of the relationships that I do have and to keep my expectations low with potential new friends. Don’t play people’s phony manipulation games and don’t bother with people who aren’t interested in actually spending time with you. Being friends with people shouldn’t be one-sided, and it sounds corny but it’s usually more worthwhile to put that effort into being my own friend, which I genuinely think has built my character and made me better ‘friend material.’

[@livelongandprospermary8796]

I moved a lot too growing up and had similiar issues however i was in the same school from 3rd to 8th grade and was bullied by every friend i made and many students i didnt even talk to. So even in a stable place i couldnt make friends.

[@PurePrimal-88]

So not trying to negate or diminish your experience. But, I had a "stable" home, and schooling (for the most part)... Went undiagnosed and was horrifically abused by the public school system over and over and over again, for not being able to fit in right; until I learned to high mask, that is (which is when the ed set in). My point is, these are problems for everyone on the spectrum and or balancing adhd. The stay at home life can be just as damaging. I would've have loved to be able to run around the country with just my bro and my ma. Probabley would've given anything for that to be possible, honestly.

[@LightestKing]

it's especially weird considering that they supposedly moved because of the realization they got from Addison's illness but it seems like Grace is the favorite, Addison cleans the largest bathroom while their youngest boy sweeps and mops the entire RV, while despite being the middle child Grace does the smallest bathroom as her chore which is clearly the easiest. Also how she has her own larger "station" for her makeup and skin care compared to both other kids. Weird 🤨

[@mari-us6zg]

I move once a year, and that alone has made it difficult for me to maintain friendships. I don’t feel the need to make close connections because I assume my friendship with people is temporary anyway. So even though I’ve met so many people through moving, it did not make me any more sociable, in fact the opposite happened. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to make friends living in an RV, with even less stability.

[@semoremo9548]

fr these past three or so years I've been as "sociable" as ever, because through a change in highschools, having to repeat my whole senior year of highschool (so new class with new people), then getting into a trade school for a short while, and THEN ending up in college... yeah, I've met a lot of people and changed up my circle a lot. And yet I've never felt more alone, purely because I never got to make deep and meaningful connections with people. I assume it has to be the same in these kids' cases, when they might make a friend for a couple of weeks or even a couple months, and then never see them again, or only seeing them after a whole year has passed. Just because someone talks to a lot of people doesn't mean that the social interactions they're having are meaningful. Also like... it's kinda creepy if you look at it from the perspective of how some of these parents' goals might be precisely to isolate their kids in order to enforce certain views or lifestyles. It's never good to not have a solid support group outside of your family

[@CrazyForFrogs]

I’m in a similar position and even as an adult it the lack of stability messes with you mentally. It’s unimaginable to think how it must feel to a kid

[@KaiBellarose]

This was my experience as well and as an adult I had to learn how to maintain friendships and relationships with people. It's been several years now, but I still get anxiety sometimes when I feel like I'm getting too close to someone, part of my brain always wants to end the friendships when this happens although I've learned to ignore that impulse over the years

[@Mpearl8084]

Something that stuck out to me was the mom talking about how she needed to cherish every moment with her kids after Addison got better. To me, that seemed like a selfish decision on her part. Almost like she realized her kids are not guaranteed to outlive her, so she took drastic steps to be close to them at all times (and even preventing them from making meaningful relationships with peers instead). As someone who's also dealt with chronic illness at a young age, the last thing I'd want is to be in a cramped space with my family 24/7 and traveling. Being sick like that forces you to face your morality and makes you decide what's important in life. Most people who get sick young want to plan out their adult life carefully so that they can accommodate their disability around a "successful" adult life (whatever that means for them since it's different for everyone). Most people's reaction is not to travel the world when they get sick young because they need to learn how to navigate through life with it. Traveling after an accident or illness is more common in adults who've already lived a normal life. When you have your whole life ahead of you still, you can't just decide to run from society and expect to make it. Basically, this whole thing is the moms inability to cope with her children's mortality, and she's screwing up her kids instead of getting herself and them some mental help to cope with these feelings. Also, a couple of PANDAS symptoms include decreased motor function, reduced coordination, and sensitivity to light and sounds. Imagine being in a moving vehicle all the time and having to crawl up into a tiny loft with those symptoms. It's selfish to put someone in a living situation that doesn't accommodate their needs.

[@Stonebrick]

This is a very solid analysis. I’m on the spectrum as well and I would die inside at such an arrangement. I too am chronically ill and I can’t imagine living like this

[@amberlankhorst1253]

I was also diagnosed young for a chronic disability. There's not a single part of me that could handle living in an RV or mobile home. I get migraines and need to lay down if I stand up too fast let alone sit in a passenger seat of a car. These parents are selfish, plain and simple

[@vbsenthusiast]

i was diagnosed at age 14 and it was already awful, there is no way i could have even begun to cope if i didn't have a stable place to return to

[@darajoyce5514]

also to add to that, they also have autism and an ED..

[@Sacrificallamba]

I remember reading a Reddit post by an van life/rv life kid. The kid was miserable and wanted a normal life. He planned on leaving when he was 18. It made me realise how RV life is so harmful for kids. It made me so sad too

[@jeannineterese1037]

I have an aunt & uncle who raised 5 kids while driving around in a van, then later a motorhome. They were all homeschooled and sheltered. To be honest our whole family thought they were crazy. Of course, this was years before social media.

[@shelby3174]

On my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail last year I was keeping pace with a family of six, all 4 kids under the age of ten. They boasted similar democracy around their lifestyle and would vote every week about whether or not they wanted to stay on the Trail, but I always thought of the power dynamic involved. If a five year old thinks they're going to ruin the family's adventure by wanting to go home, they're going to keep quiet about it. I still worry about those kids. They did not seem to be having a good time.

[@ashlynnheller8400]

They took children to hike the whole trail. Isn't that like months of hiking.

[@TEO.187]

YIKES I grew up living in a house on the Appalachian Trail and that hike is long and grueling for most adults, taking multiple toddlers on it would be wildly dangerous and inappropriate

[@fart63]

That scares me because what if one of their younger kids just gets up one night and tries to leave, or just in the middle of a hike walks off? It’s happened, it happens more than you would think. There isn’t a good track record of finding kids in massive forests and on mountains.

[@forestwizard1483]

Yes, I have seen this (I live near the trail) and it is extremely abusive. It takes about 6 months to hike the trail and outside of the obvious unschooling aspect of hiking all day versus education, the trail is dangerous. There are wild animals (like bears), flash floods, high injury risk, and so much more. This kind of shit makes no sense to me. If you want to hike the AT, don't have kids. If you want to live in a van, don't have kids. If you have these off the cuff dreams, don't have kids. I don't understand. I have lived a very wild, adventurous and crazy life and I DON'T have kids. It is so simple.

[@m0L3ify]

A 5 year old can't make adult decisions like that. When I was 10 and my sister was 5, my family had to move. My parents were arguing about which house to buy - from what I can surmise, my father wanted the affordable condo in the average neighborhood, and my mother wanted the expensive condo in the hills near the rich folks with horses - so they asked my sister and I to choose. I knew from past experience (my parents asked us if we should move across the country when I was 7 and my sister was 3) that she would just pick whatever I chose because she was WAY too young to understand what was going on and just copied me, so I knew I had to make the financially sound decision for the whole family's future and picked the affordable condo in the regular neighborhood, much to my mother's disappointment. I think she was really banking on our love of horses to coerce us into helping her move to the one that was above our means. It's a VERY good thing I picked the one I did and my parents listened to me, though, because the cost of living was much higher in the new city and we struggled for years afterwards. It would have been catastrophic had we tried to pretend we were rich. Don't ask small children to make adult decisions. Don't use them to justify your own choices. Be the adult for them. That's our job as parents.

[@Claire-lu8hf]

I wasn’t a van life kid but I was homeschooled. I HATE the rhetoric that “homeschooled kids are more socialized than schooled kids”. I only learned how to make surface level friends because the other homeschooled kids and I didn’t actually like each other or have anything in common. As an adult I still struggle to make meaningful friendships because I never learned how to make them. I learned how to be a great coworker because realistically that’s what my “friends” were

[@JustMeEd]

This 100%. I was also homeschooled for my whole childhood. I understand my parents reasons and honestly do think I got a better education for who I am as a person. But I have no deep friendships and no idea how to make and maintain them. It’s all surface level and every conversation I have with a peer feels like I’m conducting an interview.

[@prinxen1733]

*I was also homeschooled and like. I understand this but friends I have now that went to school ended up horrifically traumatized out of making deeper friendships with others because of the constant bullying and struggling to speak to 'authority figures' of any kind, including cashiers... *Ik this isn't the case for everyone who went to school. But I genuinely believe homeschooling is a better path for many, as long as you have plenty of other events to meet other kids at throughout the week *Personally I attended a kids' youth group and for a while the homeschooling group but- yk

[@marsmia4869]

THIS, I was also home schooled and I have trouble making friends in college due to not knowing the proper social skills. I wish I had went to highschool :(

[@aeoligarlic4024]

Homeschooling reminds me of that beverly halls family. 3 boys, all homwschooled, hangs out only with their parents. Never had any homecooked meal, neither parents made an effort to learn cooking or hiring a chef. All their content is about ticking to do lists which are ridiculous like skincare, gym, make coffee. They're shady af i swear

[@aeoligarlic4024]

​@@prinxen1733 what doesn't kill you makes you stronger i guess Not saying this as victim-blaming. I haven't 100% made peace with the ridicule i faced in elementary school bc i was a dork. But in the long run i appreciate the moments when things start to get better. Like when i made genuine friends with similar interests in middle school. Growing apart, making peace with it, learning your own mistakes and growing from it. All of the good and bad are a part of growing pains. It makes us who we are today and i'm grateful for it

[@mmoriartyy]

As a Roma woman I'm surprised and very thankful for your interjection around that 4 minute mark

[@honeyh5873]

me too! i typed out a huge comment about grt perspectives and then that part played, it was a really nice surprise

[@mayamorabito1669]

Were are you ladies from? I've just come across a channel about romani traditions, then Tiffany's interlude and now your comments. Might be a sign that I should educate myself about traveler communities.

[@maxens_is_here]

​@@mayamorabito1669you might also be interested in learning about yéniche people

[@corvidsam]

When I was 13, my mom was offered a temporary position in Switzerland by her job, and asked if I wanted to go with her. From the start, we knew it would be 2 years and I would travel back to the US for like a month or two in the summer to visit my dad. It was an amazing experience for me because we travelled a lot, I got to meet a ton of other kids from different countries, etc. But I definitely noticed that when we moved back just before my junior year of high school, it was awkward to make friends because those groups had already been established for a couple years (ie since freshman year) so I was inserting myself into already established dynamics. Luckily I’m a fairly charismatic and not shy person, so I was able to make friends, but I can’t imagine only being able to make temporary friends- really acquaintances- and not having the stability of going to school. I’ve also seen the impact of normal homeschooling on my friends that I made in college; they definitely weren’t as developed socially as even my more awkward but traditionally schooled friends and they had a harder time because of it.

[@pleureunfleuve]

When you have an autoimmune disease, having a stable routine is SO important in staying healthy. And even in remission, you still have medical follow-ups, pills to take, etc. Having a support system is crucial, as well as personal space. The quality of care you receive depend on a constant support. It makes such a big difference to be followed by the same, great caregivers. I can't imagine what Addison has to go through.

[@redwolf7502]

As a homeschooled kid, this RV life would have killed me. I had limited socialization that is more associated with mental health than homeschool life, but STILL i had extracurricular and things i went too where I could meet people and make friends. I know how isolated i felt being homeschooled (at times) it must be 1000x worse in RV life. I was happy in the end i was homeschooled but a feeling of isolation is definitely one of the biggest downsides.

[@StaceyUncluttering]

As someone that grew up being homeschooled I agree. At least there was church and Girl Scouts to have some friends!

[@Allison1111]

All the RV kid's friends are online or they meet up every now and then, there's no stable group that they can see daily. The parents never seem to get that.

[@grimmgoosegoose216]

I responded to her reachout for homeschooler and I specifically highlighted that. I at least got to meet up with my coop, 4-h and church groups. Sure they were a part of the problem but at least i had relationships with other people who fully understood my hell. These kids? Entirely fucking isolated.

[@onyourleft5648]

As a homeschooled kid who was packed into an RV half the year, can confirm it leads to a large social development deficit, if I hadn’t been super lucky in college to move away from my family and be a student athlete(friends who taught me how to be normal, talk to girls, go to parties and bars) idek how mal-adjusted I’d be

[@mhenderson7673]

I was home-educated when I was younger (under 12) and I personally never felt lonely. Me and my brother would play with each other, and we had a circle of other home-educated friends that we saw somewhat regularly. Idk what it's like in other countries, but we had a network of home-educators that would move around the country, stay in touch, and all travel for meetups. Although we never moved house so we did have a lot more stable friends with kids in our village. Basically, if the parents are motivated it's not that hard to organise a network and socialise the kids, I have a lot of good memories of fun times meeting with the regular kids (and there'd often be new kids just passing through). If your family has the right dynamics it can definitely be a fun rag-tag community (my mum is autistic and we think a little bit differently to most families). Ultimately it is about giving your kids as much choice as possible, for example I chose to start school myself (mostly because I realised I might miss my chance to see what normal kids get up to) that was the right decision at the time and my parents fully supported me. Additionally, we had a motorhome that we'd go on holiday in for around two months every summer, and I think it's interesting to note that by the end of summer I'd feel quite homesick and want to get back home. However, once I'd spent winter in our house I'd be itching to get out into the van again and be homesick for that! So really, it probably comes done to doing everything in moderation. If these family vanlife vloggers had a house they could return to at any time, I think that might fix a lot of the problems mentioned and give them more flexibility to listen to their kids. It's all very nuanced and ultimately each family's situation has to be judged individually. Personally, I find the idea of the government interfering a little uncomfortable, because they have a lot of power and I'm scared they may misjudge people and try and prevent this way of life which can be the best option for some families. However, I obviously accept that the government is trying to protect the kids and make sure they're being given a fair chance in life, so it's a bit of a paradox. For context, since I never started school I was not in the system until I was twelve, but I know other families that had to submit curriculums and have social workers checking up on them, which was a bit bothersome. Who knows what they would have thought of our family, and whether we would have gotten into trouble because of my mum's neurodivergency and possible misunderstanding/discrimination.

[@ravygal66]

Ex-RV family kid here! So thankful it was pre instagram, and that we only did it for about five years. I will admit it’s pretty amazing to experience that much nature and that many different places and people at such a young age. It gave me a really unique and empathetic perspective, i saw some incredible places, and learned so many things about history and science first hand. But it also completely wrecked my social skills, and there’s a lot of ramifications to growing up with that kind of constant instability. Much less being isolated with my parents who I love deeply, but have a lot of problems of their own that the RV trip was definitely a symptom of. Ofc this is a case by case basis and I’m sure there’s families this is great for, but overall I’d say road-trips should just be vacations. No kid should spend that much time in truck stops.

[@jordy_muhnordy]

I really feel for these RV kids. You hear a lot of these RV parents talking about how much they had to "downsize" to live this life, and I can only imagine how many sentimental items the kids had to give up. I remember reading a NatGeo story about these "apartments" in China (I believe) that were roughly the size of some of these bunks. In another analysis of RV life, it was noted that the parents have always seem to have a full size bedroom with a king bed and adequate storage whereas the kids sleep in coffin style beds (or the floor). I have lived in a very small, contained space before and it was hard for just me, I couldn't imagine that living arrangement with a family of 12!!

[@anniewlo]

My mom growing up (and to this day as an struggling adult) forced me to give away or throw away my belongings I was still using that weren’t superfluous (I had one small closet half full and a small dresser), but necessary for my career and life. She did and does this as a form of emotional/physical abuse and control. She has NPD. I hope she rots in hell. I want my possessions back, I bought them, they’re legally mine. My mom needs to stop stealing from me. Same reason she recently destroyed her community, my father’s business and our house, by moving to a far away abusive Trump-ridden area - for abuse, selfishness and control. I used to think my father was bad (he was verbally abusive, and scary - he has since changed) but I now realize my mom is the bigger abuser in my family. Her need for control and self-serving bullshit (and then denial about her harm to us) is irreparably harming my family and I.

[@themooshmosh]

Back in 2018/2019 my family sold our house and we moved full time into an rv. we travelled all across the country and my mom documented it all on youtube. I was a young teenager at the time and already struggling mentally, so the big change only made things worse. the little friends I had were even harder to connect with bc we didn't have a reliable internet connection, and when I needed space from my family, I was instead forced to be around them and it was all filmed and uploaded for the world to see without my consent. It was a really bad time overall and even now I'm working through a lot of trauma that was caused by my time there. I'm an adult now, and thank god I'm living in an actual house. Still with my parents, but hopefully not for much longer. Unfortunately a lot of the "RV family" life is a lot more dark that what you see on camera.

[@Tiorg-g1u]

The parents are being a bit disingenuous when talking about their kids social lives because children don't have the same ability to analyze how they fit into different social situations, and they'll never really learn if they don't get to have close, stable relationships outside of their parents. A big part of socialization and children developing their identities is consistent and stable interactions with peers and/or trusted adults who share their interests and I find it hard to believe that these kids are getting that.

[@ravenpotter3]

I can imagine kids can’t even have phone calls with their friends without their parents accidently overbearing. Even if there is sound proofing.

[@Nl0R]

Exaclty! No deep meaningful social bonds for those kids outside of the family. If they at least would travel with 1 or 2 other families, it would be a little bit better. Those parents want the freedom of nomadic life without realizing that true nomadic civilizations consist of one group moving together, usually along the same route every year. They have stability and predictability.

[@raaychiel_2222]

I feel like no one ever talks about van life in the winter when you can’t really go outside and explore. What happens when it’s cold, do you just sit in the van all winter, when instead their kids could be going to school n participating in winter sports or holiday parties, etc. I genuinely wanna know what it like in the winter

[@striderleigh478]

A lot of the “better off” vanlife people drive to warm climates so they don’t have to ever deal with winter. If you’re poor in a place like Seattle… Well, you’re stuck in your van or you go to coffee shops/library/gym…

[@stormhooves2353]

Yes. You sit in the RV/van for the majority of the winter. I'm a former RV kid and it was miserable any time it was cold or extremely hot, which turned out to be often. So really it's only favorable when the weather is moderate. And if you aren't a well-of family, you can't constantly move to a location with warmer/more moderate weather.

[@MylingCyrus]

​@@striderleigh478 ah yes the classic solution. Being rich 🙃

[@dw1n3]

@@MylingCyrus Money solves all problems in our current society, so yeah, everything can be solved with a dash of exploiting capitalism.

[@anti-usernamesaltaccount3623]

Me and my siblings never really went outside anyways due to restrictions, so the biggest difference is that we would get on each others’ bunks and share blankets at night. We kept moving in the winter too, and never got heating while traveling because we were in parking lots. Don’t know if that’ll keep up this time around or the next, but eh.