Anyone RV Full time WITH kids?

[Gcooker]

I’d be worried about tornados.


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[Glen1978]

Well RVing is how we got to Colorado. 3 weeks in the back country with both kids in the middle of nowhere with only a 2k genny and taking baths in the river. I have a ball with my kids, they are my ski and motorcycle buddys . I do understand the whole winter thing in an RV.....definetly has its issues and that would need to be looked at further. Thought about a shorter class A and pull our little 99 Impreza sport where we can camp down lower elevations and drive up to the mountains. Most of our local mountains dont allow overnight RVers.

As for leaving the teaching to the professionals....not too sure on that. I dont think being in brick and mortar school is a have to type thing. Teachers these days dont get paid enough and I suspect alot just let kids cruise through. That is not the case with all of them of course. I just think being on a full time field trip and letting kids see more of the world couldnt be a bad thing. I know it wont be all fun and games. There will be some shitty times but thats at home or in a RV or at school or wherever.

[Glen1978]

Id think they would get more of the goods.....?

10 and 13 year old boys huh?

As long as you aren't bouncing around so much they can't get some poontang or form relationships.

Girls girls girls girls girls.

Stock up on the Kleenex.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> Thought about a shorter class A and pull our little 99 Impreza sport

OK. This has to be a troll.

[DJSapp]

10 and 13 year old boys huh?

As long as you aren't bouncing around so much they can't get some poontang or form relationships.

Girls girls girls girls girls.

Stock up on the Kleenex.

Was thinking along similar lines. All I know is family vacation time usually means little to no sexy time for me and the Mrs. due to kid proximity. Do you really want to hear your 13 y.o. cracking sheets and ruining socks 15' away from you? Are you and the Mrs. masters of the silent horizontal dance?

[MarcusBrody]

Well RVing is how we got to Colorado. 3 weeks in the back country with both kids in the middle of nowhere with only a 2k genny and taking baths in the river. I have a ball with my kids, they are my ski and motorcycle buddys . I do understand the whole winter thing in an RV.....definetly has its issues and that would need to be looked at further. Thought about a shorter class A and pull our little 99 Impreza sport where we can camp down lower elevations and drive up to the mountains. Most of our local mountains dont allow overnight RVers.

As for leaving the teaching to the professionals....not too sure on that. I dont think being in brick and mortar school is a have to type thing. Teachers these days dont get paid enough and I suspect alot just let kids cruise through. That is not the case with all of them of course. I just think being on a full time field trip and letting kids see more of the world couldnt be a bad thing. I know it wont be all fun and games. There will be some shitty times but thats at home or in a RV or at school or wherever.

I wasn't the one talking about schooling, but I don't think the ability to impart the material is the hard part about home schooling. Assuming you are reasonably educated and willing to read up on the material you'd be teaching, I'm sure that you could handle middle school level. Teachers do get training for a reason though, and if your child is struggling in something they have learned a lot of alternative techniques for approaching the topic. You would have to potentially put in a lot of time outside of the time you're actually teaching them to learn these.

That being said, I think the real potential issue with home schooling is that students at your kids age are learning a lot of non-academic skills from interacting with their peers (and teachers) in a classroom environment. There is a reason that middle school sucks: kids don't really know who they are and how to interact with others and they're trying it out via trial and error. Sometimes the errors are painful. But it is an experience that is often very educational just for general interpersonal skills (including the romantic/sexual ones mentioned). Missing that would be my worry.

Also, the mentioned difficulty of decent sex with the wife. We're desperate to sleep train our regressed two year old so that he stays out of our bed more often. I wouldn't really want to go back to minimizing that distance.

Source: Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. OK, I didn't, but I do have a PhD in the sociology of education and study adolescent social networks and educational outcomes.

[gatorboy]

3 days ago I called a local and asked about buying eggs from him again. He told me that they sold the chickens and the farm and is going to travel the country for a couple of years with their 6 kids (all under 10) and live in their 5th wheel.

Good luck and I truly wish you the best. Kids and parents will adapt to the limited social interaction that school and community provides, but getting "unplugged" could prove to be worth it.

[muted]

Do you really want to hear your 13 y.o. cracking sheets and ruining socks 15' away from you?

The family that sticks together, well, sticks together.

[skaredshtles]

The family that sticks together, well, sticks together.

Ew.

I lol'd.

[S_jenks]

.

That being said, I think the real potential issue with home schooling is that students at your kids age are learning a lot of non-academic skills from interacting with their peers (and teachers) in a classroom environment. There is a reason that middle school sucks: kids don't really know who they are and how to interact with others and they're trying it out via trial and error. Sometimes the errors are painful. But it is an experience that is often very educational just for general interpersonal skills (including the romantic/sexual ones mentioned). Missing that would be my worry.

.

This is understated, IMO. Homeschooling can sound nice and all, and it's certainly fun to dig at the public school system. But the point about being around and interacting with your peers is very important. That kind of trial-and-error is an important part of the 'blunder years' and it's relevance can go far beyond what is taught in the actual classroom

Both of my older brothers were homeschooled for a good part of their early education, and my mother (who graduated with a teaching degree) worked full-time with them while dad brought home the bacon. It worked for a time, but the lack of interacting with other kids certainly made it tougher as they got older. By the time I came along and was old enough for elementary, the older brothers were actively resisting my mom on the homeschooling, and it became too much for everyone.

So I ended up with a typical public school education. My middle brother didn't start until 7th grade, and the eldest started as a freshman in HS. Missing the middle-school year inevitably fucked up the eldest's social skills, and he was essentially an outcast in HS (lacking peers made it even easier to fall into the video game addiction trap). The middle brother was able to learn a lot more before his freshman year, making friends and fucking up at times. Of course, we all continue to grow after HS, but the difference even today in their social skills is notable.

Hate the public school system all you want, but social skills are an invaluable tool to learn, and that means a kid has to be around other non-family peers. Putting kids in a motorhome at that age and traveling around without a regular income sounds ill-planned, selfish, and likely to fuck with your kid's development as teens. Have you ever been in a tent trailer for 2+ weeks or more? Because we had a Jayco for over 20 years, and while those summer camping trips were fun, everyone was worn down by the end and looking to get back to an actual home.

Just my .02

[Glen1978]

I just turned 40 this past December and I remember when I was a kid the home school kids were kinda awkward when you did meet them. I dont think its like that anymore as much as social media has took over "friendships". They are playing Fortnite with their "friends" in Alabama or BFE they have never seen or talked to outside of the game. Its definetly something that we need to delve further into but I like hearing everyones opinions. What might sound horrible to me might not sound so bad to someone else or vice versa.

[HappyCamper]

Maybe do a test-run? Take 4-6 weeks after they get out of school this year?

[MarcusBrody]

I just turned 40 this past December and I remember when I was a kid the home school kids were kinda awkward when you did meet them. I dont think its like that anymore as much as social media has took over "friendships". They are playing Fortnite with their "friends" in Alabama or BFE they have never seen or talked to outside of the game. Its definetly something that we need to delve further into but I like hearing everyones opinions. What might sound horrible to me might not sound so bad to someone else or vice versa.

From a research perspective, I don't think there is super strong evidence that social media/online friendships have replaced real life friendships. For some people they almost certainly have (and I imagine that can be great for some middle schoolers who don't feel like they fit in, most of the research is on that). But in most cases they are in person modifiers rather than standalone friendships (at least in terms of which friendships students deem most important). These days a lot of homeschooled kids basically have play/meet up groups, with the intention of letting them get some interaction and develop some lasting relationships/social skills. Obviously that's a bit harder with your scenario. What you need is a convoy. :-)

Also, you definitely want to think about how you'd get good internet in the RV if things like gaming are important.

[Glen1978]

From a research perspective, I don't think there is super strong evidence that social media/online friendships have replaced real life friendships. For some people they almost certainly have (and I imagine that can be great for some middle schoolers who don't feel like they fit in, most of the research is on that). But in most cases they are in person modifiers rather than standalone friendships (at least in terms of which friendships students deem most important). These days a lot of homeschooled kids basically have play/meet up groups, with the intention of letting them get some interaction and develop some lasting relationships/social skills. Obviously that's a bit harder with your scenario. What you need is a convoy. :-)

Also, you definitely want to think about how you'd get good internet in the RV if things like gaming are important.

Id love to convoy with out best friends but it just isnt feasible for them monetarily wise. Gaming isnt important to them at all just something they do if its available and nothing else really going on. I dont let them be the basement warrior and they know that. They ideally just hang out with each other and the dog. We have kids next door to us but they really dont hang with them even though they are friends. They have a weird friendship as brothers that work. They dont fight like I remember fighting with my older brother and sister.

[AdironRider]

You need to send those kids off to boarding school. Pick em up for breaks and such.

[SumJongGuy]

Fulltiming with 2 adults and 2 teenage boys in a 19ft bambi? No way in hades. The holding tanks alone would have to be emptied every 3 days. 27ft or larger.

[Tamburello Rouge]

First thing to ask yourself is do you really want to be stuck in a 8x20 foot rolling box with your wife and two boys all day every day? Do your boys argue about stupid shit like Minecraft or fight over Hot Wheels? Mine do. Does your wife love telling you how to drive? Ditto on that. I know I couldn't do it.

Second thing to consider is cash. You claim to have $250K equity in your house. Sounds like you're planning on selling your house and using the proceeds to fund your new lifestyle. So you sell your house and get what you think it's worth and now have $250K in the bank. Except it won't be $250K because brokers take 6% right off the top. Maybe you're in a house worth $500K. That's $30K so now we're down to $220K. Any other debt that should be paid off? Taxes? Probably should take care of all that, too.

Either way, how long do you think that $220K will last? If it were my wife with you based on the way she insists on traveling it wouldn't even last a year. However long it takes you to run out of cash, it eventually will run out. Now what do you do? You're now homeless with no cash, no assets and no job. I get it, 9 to 5 jobs can suck, but things can be a lot worse.

[AdironRider]

I know we are all supposed to be dentists and all but 220k in cash needs per year in an RV? Seems a bit high to me given the lifestyle choice.

That being said, this is a great way to spend a life savings, but you will run out of cash eventually and be basically starting over.

[Glen1978]

We dont really have any other bills that the asset couldnt be easily sold off to pay for it. Polaris SxS for instance. We will be bill free other than our house inside of two years. We both work for the state.....both sick of the monotony when there are way better ways to get thru life. Sounds like a midlife crisis but Ive had it for years. Ive had a full time job since I was 13, fuckin sick of it.

My kids are well behaved and are old souls really. My wife and I get along pretty good (alot better than most after 6 years) and just want to have fun in life. I mean when you are dead and gone you are dead and gone. You only get one shot at this life. I never said I didnt want to work. Find a place we like and hang out for a couple months and work part time. There are always jobs at ski slopes and state temp jobs....matter of fact I thought about going to work at Copper Mountain as a vehicle maintenance tech as that is what I do now for the State of Colorado. Seasonal plow truck driver jobs all the time (but that fucks with my ski time), all kinds of ways to make money. Ive done anything from being a paramedic, welding, oilfield, farm type work, have a CDL, mechanic, handyman type shit....I will NEVER be broke. Even thought about going and working a month in the oilfield for a month a year to support us at $750-1000 / day but dont want to go back.

[MarcusBrody]

How will childcare work if you need to get a job? You won't have school to occupy 7 hours a day. Will one parent always be not working? Obviously at 13, a kid can watch himself for a bit, but it's not as easy when you're not at home.

Another issue is that motorhomes are largely built pretty poorly. Living in them full time will show quickly (hopefully with your skills, you can mitigate some of that, but some of it is just material degradation. You can get ones that are more suited to full time living, but they're expensive and unlike that house that has appreciated a lot, motorhomes are a very rapidly depreciating asset.

I definitely understand your impulse, but if I were you, I'd buckle down for the next eight years until your younger kid is heading off to college. Buy a cheap motorhome and use your skills to fix it up and go have adventures. When your kids are grown up, you'll have even more money saved up and so you can take your wife and hit the road.

[AK47bp]

Fuck it man. Just do it.

[DBdude]

Well RVing is how we got to Colorado. 3 weeks in the back country with both kids in the middle of nowhere with only a 2k genny and taking baths in the river. I have a ball with my kids, they are my ski and motorcycle buddys . I do understand the whole winter thing in an RV.....definetly has its issues and that would need to be looked at further. Thought about a shorter class A and pull our little 99 Impreza sport where we can camp down lower elevations and drive up to the mountains. Most of our local mountains dont allow overnight RVers.

As for leaving the teaching to the professionals....not too sure on that. I dont think being in brick and mortar school is a have to type thing. Teachers these days dont get paid enough and I suspect alot just let kids cruise through. That is not the case with all of them of course. I just think being on a full time field trip and letting kids see more of the world couldnt be a bad thing. I know it wont be all fun and games. There will be some shitty times but thats at home or in a RV or at school or wherever.

my oldest takes AP calc and english. I don't think I could home school that

reading riting and rithmitic isn't enough. given your kids ages I am not sure that is an issue, but my kids are always slotted in high achiever activities and break outs, etc

[dunfree]

That being said, this is a great way to spend a life savings, but you will run out of cash eventually and be basically starting over.

At age 40+

OP - whats your goal out of this? In terms of - what do you plan to do for the 12 months of the year? Ski in the winter, sure. what will you do/where will you be in the shoulder seasons? Summer months? Where you want to be for the busy packed holidays summer/winter?

[MarcusBrody]

Could you rent out your house and still fund a one year trip in a cheaper RV?

That might be a great experience for your kids and they won't miss all of the socialization people are talking about. Is your 13 year old finishing 7th grade? Might be the perfect time to miss a year of school next year if there's a transition to a high school after that. A lot of people will be coming in without set friend groups. The younger kid will miss 5th (most likely) then be ready to start middle school.

[KQ]

I definitely understand your impulse, but if I were you, I'd buckle down for the next eight years until your younger kid is heading off to college. Buy a cheap motorhome and use your skills to fix it up and go have adventures. When your kids are grown up, you'll have even more money saved up and so you can take your wife and hit the road.

^This.

Focus on early retirement instead of getting out now. Also, you might do better by your kids to keep them in school and have them go for AP classes or better yet an IB so they will have the tools to advance into good colleges. Set them up for a successful future so they can live their dreams too.