Chip Chick
A lot of people are finding the beauty of living in a van and traveling the country in nice RVs instead of staying in one state and in a house.
However, many people don’t choose to follow that lifestyle until they’re retired or their kids are all grown up, as trying to do it with younger kids can be very hard.
One man’s ex-wife wanted to take their kids with her and her boyfriend on their van trip across the country, but he said no, which put a strain on her relationship with their kids. Now, his ex is blaming him for their estrangement.
He has two kids with his ex-wife, Marcia, who is now married to a new man named Paul. He and Marcia began longing to lead different lifestyles, which is what led to their split.
Marcia is much more free-spirited and enjoys a more bohemian lifestyle, while he’s more traditional. They split custody of their two kids, who are now 14 and 12 years old.
“I never had a problem with Paul, [as] he’s a lot like Marcia and makes her happy,” he said.
“Plus, the kids seemed to like him. Marcia and I used to split custody 50/50, [but] a year ago, out of nowhere, Marcia told me that she and Paul wanted to travel the country in a renovated van. Paul is a huge fan of the van life culture on social media. She wanted me to give her permission to bring the kids and let them be homeschooled for a year. I could fly out to see the kids a few times, or she’d fly them back.”
He knew that Marcia and Paul weren’t well-equipped to give their kids a proper homeschool education, and even if they could, his kids didn’t want to go and didn’t want to leave their school. So, he said no.
Because he didn’t agree to let the kids go with Marcia and Paul for a year, the court granted him full custody while Marcia was on the road. The kids flew out to meet her and Paul in their van twice and hated it both times.
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