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A family of six has sparked outrage for living in a one-bedroom apartment, where their kids sleep in the kitchen while the parents sleep in the primary bedroom.
In a viral TikTok video, user Stephanie Jenkins shared a time-lapse of her family’s nightly routine. Since the clip was shared on October 25, it has gone on to receive more than eight million views.
“To an outsider our environment appears cluttered, disorganized, what have you,” Stephanie said in the TikTok. “But frankly, after making do for three years now, I have nothing but a grateful spirit for the roof over our heads.”
Each night, the family of six puts away their dining table and cleans up their children’s toys to transform the living room into a bedroom, where four children sleep on air mattresses and foam toppers. Meanwhile, Stephanie sleeps in the only bed in the apartment with her partner, Drew.
With more than 62,000 followers on TikTok, the Resilient Jenkins family has received tons of online attention for their unusual living habits. Much of Stephanie’s content includes short-form vlogs, highlighting the ins and outs of living in a single-bedroom apartment with four children and another baby on the way.
Many of her videos are filmed in the designated children’s area, which triples as a TV room, kitchen, and bedroom. Some viewers have also caught a glimpse of Stephanie’s bedroom she shares with Drew, which features a full-size bed, two TVs, and a gaming console.
In one TikTok post from October 27, Drew was seen sitting on the edge of their bed and playing video games under a bright blue LED light with three of their children. “Dad takes his first evening off in 150+ days so him and the kids have a gaming sesh,” Stephanie said in the clip, before describing their room as the “safe zone” for their kids.
She continued: “Y’all can’t tell me you don’t remember your parents room being the safe zone and the reset spot as a child.”
However, some people in the comments section criticized the mother for allowing her children to sleep in the kitchen, while she and Drew slept in a “decked out” room.
“Bedroom, game system, TV, big bed, neon lights… kids sleeping in the kitchen and living room,” one user wrote under the TikTok post.
A second person said: “Personally my dad would never have a fully decked out room while I slept on the floor by the door. Priorities.”
Others pointed out that Stephanie and Drew had a PlayStation 5 gaming console in their room, which retails for $500 online. “The PS5 was about $600… bunk beds are maybe $100,” one person noted.
On X/Twitter, some people questioned how the Jenkins family were going to welcome another baby into the small living space.
“My thing is if this is how you HAVE to live... why keep having kids? And why do you not have bunk beds at least... you could’ve had multiple bunk beds along the walls at least for spacing reasons this is just a mess,” one woman explained.
According to some followers, Stephanie previously explained on a TikTok livestream that her children used to sleep in bunk beds, but they broke.
Despite the criticism, the mother of four has continued to post on her social media accounts, admitting that she isn’t bothered by the hateful comments.
“Sadly hate spreads a lot faster than love in this world,” Stephanie said followig the viral video. “But if it’s going to spread our content then go ahead and keep hating.”
The Independent has contacted Stephanie for comment.
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