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EtakVon

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Messages
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Location
Virginia
Hello All,

I’m a single mother preparing to live in my 2012 Town & Country Van with two teenage boys. I find downsizing and disconnecting from the commercial world would be best suited for my family. I grew up camping all the time and miss the freedom and connection I had with the family. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Welcome EtakVon to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger
 
How do your kids feel about it?

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I have not told them yet. I’m financially planning it, and I believe they will have a melt down because they’re too attached to stuff. I just did the numbers and I’m looking in 17 months I’ll be ready. Wish it could be sooner...
 
That’s an awfully small space for three. Where will your boys go to school?
 
Welcome! Is there any chance that you could get a cargo trailer and make it a tiny home on wheels? The minivan will be cramped for teenage boys to live in.

I totally understand the desire to escape the material world. Today's society is too obsessed with stuff, gadgets, purchases, the latest facebook post... the list goes on.
 
I wish I had the money to do so. It will take me 17 mos to get out of debt and that’s with serious sacrificing. I’m downsizing my apartment; selling nick knacks and crap I’ve collected over ten years. I want to do the home school journey, but my boys are not liking the whole ideal. I’ve discussed it with them and they want me to wait until they finish school. However, I think that will be too late. They’re so dependent on electronics, if we were under an EMP attack they would lose their minds.

I want them to learn real skills and be interested in real people and not the fictional Fantasy virtually world.
 
I don't want to be a discouraging voice here, but I do want to encourage you to think long and hard (I'm sure you already have, and that's a good thing) before taking your kids on the road against their will. I tried to get my son to join me on this journey when he was 13, then when he was 16, and I still try, even now that he's in his 30s and a successful scientist. He's just not interested. Not his idea of a good time, even through he's an avid outdoorsman. He thinks I'm totally nuts for not wanting a stix-n-brix. Even when I was working, I rarely lived in a dwelling that was "real" enough for him. He has a need for stability that my lifestyle has never provided him. So my point is, consider carefully the wishes of your kids. Mine has totally bailed on me and now only associates with his father's side, which to me are a very bourgeois bunch, only interested in food and material things that don't interest me at all. As many times as I have tried to get my son to try my lifestyle, that's how many times he has rejected it, and in the end, he's rejected me. My only regret is not my lifestyle, but the fact that my son is not interested in it. So be careful before you try to force homeschooling and the mobile lifestyle on your kids. Some people are just not into it. Especially if your kids are doing well socially. High schoolers are just so into their groups! They tend to crash and burn if they are taken out of their comfortable places.

Sorry for the dissertation....it's kind of a sensitive area for me.

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Seriously, your life (after your kids are of legal age) has NOTHING to do with their life. Do what YOU want! This is not a dress rehearsal...Go! Have a great journey!
 
I'm not sure what the laws are in your state but you may want to check. In some cases, moving into your vehicle with minors would classify you as homeless. A van would not be considered appropriate housing as you do not typically have running water/toilet/shower/etc -in some places that can be considered neglect/abuse. If it were me (I still have an 18yr old at home who just graduated from HS) I would wait until they are grown & then go forward with the life you dream of. That is what I am doing. My daughter would not be interested in living a nomadic type lifestyle, so I have kept my home, giving her the security she desires & once she leaves the nest, the house will go up for sale & it will be "My Time" Just some things to think about. I know every situation is different.. I wish you & your boys all the best!
 
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