If you haven’t already, be sure to read part 1 of this series: dealing with your stuff.
photo credit: popofatticus
Once you have purged most of your stuff, and some how managed to purge your kids stuff as well, you will realize that there still is not a lot of room in an RV. It seems obvious. Such a tiny place could not leave a family with much leg room. But once you begin living there full time you realize that it feels even more cramped than you imagined.
Some families can thrive with little to no space. They don’t mind being cooped up together, and there is always the wide open world outside the RV when you need a breather. Unfortunately, not all kids can handle this amount of closeness. Siblings are especially good at feeding off each others bad moods and escalating it to the next level. When you have two or more siblings confined together in a tight space, expect some fighting and acting out.
However, there are ways to develop personal space when living in an RV. The easiest is to open the door and step outside. After spending time inside your home, you come to see just how large the outside world can be. A short walk can do wonders for relieving the feeling of confinement. When kids begin fighting and fussing, sending one outside or both in opposite directions can easily give them both breathing room.
Unfortunately, outside is not always an option. If the weather has turned bad where you are, or you are in the middle of driving on the road, kids cannot just step outside to clear their heads. This is when parents need to get creative.
Simple dividers can be a cheap and effective way to create persona space. Hang a curtain up across a doorway or through a room to magically create a closed space. This is a great way to close off a child who really needs to be alone. Parents can use large, curved shower rods* against a wall to make a small room inside a room. Throw in a couple pillows and a book and you have the perfect nook for a teenager who is craving alone time.
When you first make the transition into RV living, the personal space issue will be one of the most frequent issues. This is because families in typical homes are used to more space of their own. Many children have their own bedrooms, adults have dens or home offices, and there is often a garage or basement that anyone can go into when they need to be alone. Suddenly finding yourself without these can be a shock to the system.
Rather than jump straight into creating space for everyone, it can be a good opportunity to help your children learn how to be together. Play games that require partners in order to win, such as Spades and the board game Partners. Activities that require kids to work together will help them move into their new life where they will be together often.
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