We all try to make the best of what we have, but “what we have” can look different for everyone. For the Jenkins, it means a one-bedroom home for their family of six—and soon to be seven.
After sharing their cramped living situation on TikTok, they sparked a wave of intense reactions from viewers questioning their choices. Despite the backlash, the parents believe they’re doing their best to give their children a good life.
Read on to find out more about their story.
The Jenkins, a family of six soon to be seven, are making do in a one-bedroom apartment
Image credits: jenkinsresiliencecrew
"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."
Image credits: jenkinsresiliencecrew
"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?'"
Image credits: jenkinsresiliencecrew
"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."
Image credits: jenkinsresiliencecrew
"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."
Image credits: jenkinsresiliencecrew
Watch the full video here:
Poor housing can harm children’s health and development
Home is where we expect to feel safe, comfortable, and healthy. But for millions of children, that isn’t the case. Issues like poor-quality housing, unstable living situations, and high costs are putting many kids at risk for serious health problems.
Last year’s report by Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), along with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion, and Youth (DCEDIY), shines a light on just how damaging they can be. According to their findings, children who grow up in homes with issues like dampness, lack of heating, or inadequate space tend to have worse health and development outcomes at 9 years old than their peers. And the longer these conditions last, the greater the impact on their well-being.
The Urban Institute’s Initiative Housing Matters explains that poor housing can indirectly affect children’s mental health because it creates stress for parents. When parents are worried about their living situation, it’s harder for them to maintain a stable and positive home environment, which affects the entire family.
Moreover, cramped and unsafe homes limit children’s ability to play, explore, and interact with others—all crucial for their cognitive, social, and emotional development. A lack of safe space can leave kids feeling restricted, unable to freely engage with their surroundings.
While we can’t know for sure how the Jenkins family is coping with their living conditions, many people online are raising concerns about whether it’s a healthy environment for their children—especially as they approach their teenage years.
Image credits: Phil Hearing (not the actual photo)
The comments section lit up with people questioning the parents’ decision to have more kids in such crowded conditions
Most of the comments criticized the parents for choosing to sleep in a separate bedroom with a door, while their children were left to sleep in the living room and kitchen area
Many felt that this setup placed the parents' comfort above the children’s, raising concerns about privacy, safety, and overall family dynamics
One TikToker described the situation as “crazy”
Image credits: tymachantee
"This is insanity at its finest. I'm not one to judge a mom, but this is crazy. You have to move your kitchen table out of the kitchen so your kids can sleep on the floor, and then you're having more kids. You're not financially stable with the ones that you have, but you wanna grow your family. It doesn't make sense to me."
Image credits: tymachantee
"And you speak about judgment in your post. You put this on the internet for everybody to see. Of course we are going to judge you because we know that it's not right. Stop having kids and learn how to become financially stable for the ones that you do have. This is actually very sad because this continues to happen time and time again."
Image credits: tymachantee
"It's very selfish. It's very selfish when you can't even give your children, the ones that you already have in this world, the proper home, the proper lifestyle, but then you wanna continue to have kids. I don't understand. Y'all make me sick. I get so mad over people I don't know. But I want it to change. I want it to change. I wanna see people doing better. Not bringing children into poverty. That's selfishness at its finest."
Watch the full video below
Another creator went on to call the parents “selfish and irresponsible”
Image credits: makeupfresh
"Choosing to have a fifth child when you live in a one-bedroom apartment is both irresponsible and selfish, in my opinion. You are already struggling and you're choosing to bring another child into that situation. That is seven people living in a one-bedroom apartment. Seven.
I would understand if they had been living in a home previously and then something happened and they ended up having to go to the one-bedroom apartment temporarily, because we do live in America, and most people do live paycheck to paycheck, and one lost job can change the trajectory of your life forever."
Image credits: makeupfresh
"However, to already be living in that situation with four children and then choosing to bring the fifth in is so selfish. Having all those children sleep in the living room, without their own space, their own room, their own privacy, is just unfair to them.
Also, there's likely one bathroom, and if one stomach virus goes throughout the family, what are you going to do in that situation? You're gonna have at least five individuals, assuming that the youngest two won't be using the potty, five individuals that are fighting over who gets to go to the toilet when everyone needs to go to the toilet."
Image credits: makeupfresh
"On top of that, the dad has to work every single day of the year, all day, to be able to provide for the family.
So all of those children are basically gonna grow up without their father being a present person in their lives. Because when he's off work, he just wants to relax, which, understandably so."
Image credits: makeupfresh
"I live in a 'three-bedroom home,' where one bedroom really isn't a bedroom—it's like a tiny office—and I am not going to have another kid until I have the space and bedroom for them to have their own space and privacy.
I understand they're likely fed and dressed, but that is not a good situation for children to be growing up in. It's just incredibly irresponsible to be bringing yet another kid into that situation. Hopefully, they stop at five."