No forum place for families

[ardentangel]

Greetings,<br /><br />I am considering taking my family on the road if my personal economic situation doesn't change soon. One big draw back is I have three almost adult kids and we barely fit in our house let alone a van. Though I have seen many posts regarding taking your kids on the road, there isn't an separate forum for us family travelers where I might find some tips an strategies for handling my large family situation.<br /><br />Oh yeah, we have three large dogs too <br /><br />So, I would really love some feedback from anyone who has gone to road living with a gaggle of kids in tow. School isn't an issue for us since we have been un-schooling this whole time, but what about space issues especially when one kids is male with two ladies older than him?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Ardent Angel

 

[Seraphim]

I think older kids need a stable set of peers around them. Ours is on his own, and he is much more a people person than his parents. To have uprooted him and taken him on the road would have been damaging, I think. Equally important is the issue of privacy - personal space away from family members at times.

We travelled a great deal with our son as a youngster. We didn't live on the road. But as he developed his own interests and talents, it became important for him to be around a core set of peers and mentors. Now he has graduated college and paying his own way, DW and I are free to travel as we please. We committed a large portion of our lives to raising a child, and we committed to his needs superceding our own. For a time lol.

Talk to them and ask them to be honest about how they feel with the possibility. If they are mature enough to discuss it reasonably, then perhaps they are mature enough to deal with the potential lifestyle.

 

[cyndi]

I stumbled across an Rving family forum the other day<br />The website<br />http://www.rvwarriors.com/<br /><br />The forum<br />http://www.rvwarriors.com/forum<br /><br />There are a at least a few families out there that blog. If/when I run across them, again, I will post links

 

[Guest]

If it were me I would think more along the lines of a converted bus....that would give you all way more room and space. I have traveled with my kids when they were pretty young and it was awesome for all of us. <br /><br />Other than that I can't be much help....<br /><br />Best of luck however you do it...<br />Bri

 

[SoulRaven]

Yes definitely a bus... I live in a Chevy G20 van with a med-big dog and that is all I can handle... 3 dogs, 3 kids you and a wife will never work... heck you could not even fit the food to feed all the mouths in even an extended van, much less bed them all... Yup a bus is the ticket...

 

[Les H]

there is a yahoo group, "families on the road", that is devoted to exactly your situation., though i dont know how active it is.
My stepchildern hated me for "making " them move, egads, how dare i expose them to new places aand people!! but thats not how i grew up. I was always a wandered and a traveler, they have taken well over a year to get re-situated wiith friends, school, etc. While it is ok to ask them what they think, you are still the parent, and must base your decison what YOU feel is best for them, though it may not be what they "want." Our youngest is a sophmore in highshool, and we have decided to wait till he is done before we go full time. And since he is the last of four, and we have dealt with teenage anger , attitudes and angst for 12 years we will be more than ready to go at that point. We usually take one family trip a year, and numerous alone weekends and mini trips of 3-4 days. If things were to change seriously financially, wed have to re examine our situation, but for now it works for us.

 

[cyndi]

Although my family didn't travel when I was young we moved around a lot due to my father being transferred. I hated it then, but now I can look back and see how fortunate I was to live in so many places. I think the moves also lent themselves to me being more independant and adaptable to change.&nbsp;