@jenkinsresiliencecrew, the TikTok mom with six kids who is expecting a seventh while living in a one-bedroom is getting a whole lot of attention on social media right now. The woman behind the account goes by the name Resilient Jenkins, and she posts a lot about being a low-income family with many children. She has just under 65k followers at the time of this post.
The Jenkins shared video clips and stories from their life in cramped quarters. The main video going viral was shared on X, formerly Twitter, where it set off a heated discussion about what it means to have a family in this day and age. Whether or not the Jenkins deserve it, most families online receive a lot of negative feedback because people have strong opinions about how kids should be raised and under what conditions.
What happens in the viral ‘one bedroom seven kids’ TikTok?
The most famous Jenkins TikTok just shows Mama Jenkins as she goes about her business in their small apartment. She cleans up as she narrates the situation, setting up beds for the kids in the family living room. She and her husband sleep in the bedroom.
“As you can read in the caption above, we’re a family of six going on seven living in a one-bedroom apartment. As the kids grow older, that means we constantly have to adapt our environment to give them more means for privacy and extra space.”
“When outside, our environment appears cluttered, disorganized, what have you. But quite frankly, after making do for nearly three years now, I have nothing but a grateful spirit for the roof over our head. Generally, the instant judgment me and my husband receive is ‘Why have so many kids if you don’t have enough space for them?’”
“My perception is, judgment comes from a place of not having the experience. When you’ve experienced enough, you generally don’t judge people. I can tell you after everything I’ve been through in the past three years, there’s very little I have to judge people on. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a point in my life when I was so naive that I might have judged a poor person based off their appearance.”
“Like I said, I have learned a lot. I generally look like I’m roughing it, but that’s because our kids come first. I do everything I can to keep our environment clean and tidy. When it comes down to it, I could shove everything my kids have in one bedroom of some of these houses I see, and it would really look like nothing. We try to teach our kids to take care of what they have. Be grateful for what we have. We keep praying and pushing for the growth that we want.”
What are people saying about the Resilient Jenkins?
While Mama Jenkins seems to be warning people not to judge too quickly lest they be judged, it didn’t do much good. Many people are calling the family selfish for having so many children and expecting another one.
The discourse expanded out, leading to discussions about the overly falling birthrate. Some people pointed out that the way the Jenkins lives used to be the norm for a lot of families, who would stack kids on kids.
However, that’s become a less acceptable way to conduct yourself. People have largely recognized that standards for living and for having children have gone up, which is to the benefit of all.
On the other hand, we’re in a pretty regressive moment in political history. Access to abortion and other family planning services has been made nearly impossible in some states after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. How much the Resilient Jenkins wanted their children isn’t really for anyone else to know, but the possibility that more people will be living like them without a choice is getting higher every day.
How have the Resilient Jenkins reacted to the attention?
They just keep posting. TikTok can be monetized, and the Jenkins have admitted themselves that they need money. So even negative attention can be a boon. And for what it’s worth, the group does seem to really love each other and love spending time together in their small space.
@jenkinsresiliencecrew Night vlog for family of 6 going on 7. #nightvlog #smallspaceliving #blendedfamily #familyof6 #familyof7 #resilient #grateful #multicultural #goingplaces ♬ original sound – Resilient Jenkins 🔹🔷🔹
The Daily Dot has reached out to the Jenkins and will update with any response.
