Family Of Six To Go Fulltiming

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whitewolf34

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I am considering buying a big RV and taking my kids with me (ages 15,12,6 & 3) and following my husband as he travels for his job. He is usally in one place for 2-6 months at a time.
I guess I am looking for anyone that has some advice wether it be positive or negative..... what was your experience with fulltiming with kids?
We have weighed many pros and cons already but in the end feel we need to be together as a family and a different job for him is not an option.
Thank you for any information your willing to share.
 
Moving the kids around creates a problem with schooling and friendships, but keeping a family life is important too.  15 year olds are usually pretty social - will he/she be able to cope?  I would think space would be an issue too, with 4 kids.

In our travels we have stayed at quite a few parks where itinerant workers live in RVs and have their families with them. Mostly with younger kids, though. They seem to do fine, though I have no idea what the kids themselves think of it.
 
As far as the kids are concerned, I suspect they'll either love it or hate it.  As already mentioned, schooling is the big issue.  I was an Army brat and went to 13 grade schools.  I did okay because I was a social kid, but my older sister had a lot of issues adapting and it was much harder for her.  We both missed a lot of school during transition periods (I missed most of three months during sixth grade in a move from Japan to CA to WDC to PA) and when we moved around the country, some school systems were better than others.  I took a lot of make-up classes when we moved from California to Pennsylvania because the PA teachers thought I had fallen too far behind in several subjects.  On the other hand, when we went from PA to Michigan it was the opposite.  I had not been doing very well in PA chemistry class but never covered any new material in MI chemistry and got good grades there.  If you plan on home schooling, are you prepared for it?  There recently was a very interesting thread on this subject elsewhere in this forum.  It was started by a mother in a situation similar to yours (wanting to keep the family near Dad's work) and she was wondering about the looks and comments in the campgrounds about her children not being in school.  She was homeschooling her children.

A lot depends on the family itself.  Do your kids make friends easily or are they withdrawn and shy or afraid to reach out?  The one thing that bothers kids who move a lot is making friends and then having to leave them.  Also, some communities are very close knit and new kids coming in are viewed as outsiders.  Can your children handle rejection of that nature?  If they go to local schools they may feel slighted because they're "transient."  We military kids sometimes faced this because communities felt they couldn't afford school facilities to accomodate the transient population and we heard negative comments.  How do feel about them living in campgrounds?  I should think you parents will have to have some good ground rules so they don't get into trouble, for example not going into strangers' RVs.  They'll also need to understand campground etiquette, for example playing within their own site boundaries and not running through other campers' sites.

I do think it's important for the children to be near both parents and if you can work it out, more power to you.  I wish you well.

ArdraF

 
Seems like you would be better off just having him get normal job where he isn't traveling.
 
I have no experience really, but the first thought that comes to my mind really is the kids. Their ages are quite wide-spread. Is it not possible at least for the 12 and 15 year olds to live with relations until they complete their schooling or something? For younger kids, it might be a good thing as they're exposed to more people and more places from a very young age. Perhaps by the time they turn 12-13, your husband might have a job that allows him to be at one place for a longer period of time.
 
I have no real experience.  We are getting ready to head out full time in a month or so to do the exact same thing but I only have a 2 year old and two German Shephards.  My husband will be working in one place for a couple of weeks to a couple of months.  My assumption if we do this for a number of years is that I would homeschool eventually.  I plan to try and get my son as much social interaction throughout this time.  Places like libraries, community centers,  bookstore and craft stores provide programs for kids.  Also I understand that the membership to YMCA is national so that will provide an outlet for socialization and exercise.  In this electronic age your older children will still be able to stay connected with their old friends.  You might want to check out the website  http://www.familiesontheroad.com/.  Good luck and I hope you make wonderful memories with your family!
 
We, a family of six, did it for a year - 2007, and it was the time of our lives.  For us, we knew it was only for a year, we all knew we were coming back, so doing permenantly puts a different spin on it.  You can go to our website at www.rvthereyet.net to learn more about what we did.
 
Nice site Eddie, but most of it requires account activation and log in. I'm still awaiting "manual approval" of my account. I can't wait to read the blogs.
 
When you make a decisino that the focal point is for the betterment of the family, you are moving int eh right direction.

We have been fulltiming with our 4 kids, 15, 13, 10 and 8 for 1 year now. They totally love it. Wer have no end in sight. We want to see all of America. It is amazing and there are hundreds of familes that do this too. We meet up with them along the way. They can be found at www.familiesontheroad.com

We are doing a show on Discovery's TLC channel airing teh 29th of Oct 10/9c. Please visit our website to view our families blogs and get updates on the show. www.ourloludfamily.comwww.ourloudfamily.com

Thank you and best of luck,

Vernon LOUD
www.ourloudfamily.com
 
Wife and I are "full timing" while building a custom home.  We have one 100lb dog.  If you could find some place with bathroom facilities (non-RV) for your family, it might be a possibilty - otherwise, I can't see how a small water heater would do the job. 

Agree that it's important to keep the family together - just understand the social impact on your kids, especially teenagers.
 
We are now on the road fulltiming so I can speak with some experience.  A 2 year old and two 90 lb dogs.  It works beautifully.  Our family is closer than we have ever been.  Even though my husband works full time, for some reason we have much more time to take walks, hold hands and enjoy life slower.  Our son is definately getting more of us and some wonderful experiences he wouldn't have had with our old life.  You find ways to accomodate.  It's true what they say about not missing what you had before when you realize what you have now. 

Regarding the hot water issue, you might want to look into a tankless system.  It heats the water immediately as it comes in and there is no waiting for the tank to heat up.  We have yet to invest in this so can't tell you how well it works.

Good luck and I hope if you decide this route it will be a very special time for your family.
 
Northgang,

Thanks for reporting back.  I'm really glad to hear that it's been positive so far.  Please do continue to keep us posted on your new lifestyle and how it goes.  There are enough young people on here who want to fulltime that your experience is bound to help someone.

ArdraF
 
I say go for it. I have been a full timer for 6 years and I could not imagine going back to a stick and mud house ever again. I don't have any kids, just a girlfriend and a cat, but as I kid I would have loved this lifestyle just as much.
 
I also say go for it.

As for the schooling - you could always homeschool - that would take care of that problem!  :)
 
I say "go for it."  You may do it for 6 months and decide it's not for you.  If you don't do it, you will never know!  Homeschooling is not that big of a deal.  Get your 15 year old an air card and sign him/her up for on-line courses approved by his/her high school.  The younger kids will actually require some effort!  How do the kids feel about it?
 

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