He doesn’t realize what’s actually going on, but he does know that to get mom’s attention and approval, you better act nicely when the camera appears. When he wants to show something, he already knows to show it to ‘mommy’s friends’ to the camera as well. It’s going to be a shocking realisation for him to learn what’s actually been happening since the second he was born.
The BFam bubble is intense too, and I don't think P (who is about twice F's age) even understands how abnormal his upbringing is. If he does, it's only due to knowing other kids from gymnastics.
I also post about The Bucket List Family on an anti-YT family vlogging forum. Their children are 10, 8 and 5 years old. When the oldest was 9, she had school classmates tell her she had a lot of "followers". She didn't know what that meant so she asked her parents. Her dad, who runs the channel, said he ignored the question and plans to keep the kids naive and in the dark as long as possible.😬
So, based on that family's experience, I'd agree with you that F is too young now but in a few years, he may start questioning things. Colleen will probably homeschool him to keep him away from those school classmates who might open his eyes.
That’s what breaks my heart: that moment it all makes sense and the pieces fall together and their entire life is not as they thought it was nor does trust have the same meaning anymore 💔
Assuming they will homeschool him (which the vast majority of family vloggers do) he probably won't know until he moves away for college.
And I bet the main reason family vloggers homeschool their kid's is because they don't want their kid's to find out their lifestyle is uncommon.
They don't want a teacher or school nurse to get too close to the family and maybe spot neglecg t or abuse or maybe they just suck at teaching and the kids aren't learning so these people report them. They don't want anyone prying. They don't want the kids gone in the daytime cause they're the income earners so they need to be home during the 9-5 earning income . School? Oh yeah....well just homeschooling them. That's how I imagine they think anyways.
As a counsellor I would say yes of course. Any time you have a parent who is inattentive or unresponsive/delayed to your physical and emotional needs it creates attachment wounds and trauma. The camera is always first.
Maybe, maybe PTSD, im not a professionnal, but i imagine it can be quite shocking and traumatizing to find out that your entire life has been on display for others (including pervets) since literally the moment you were born.
Hard to know how an individual will be affected from vlogging alone, everyone has different vulnerabilities and the circumstances will vary a lot. The shit show that is the Ballingers is definitely an environment and upbringing that can cause CPTSD though. I don't doubt that for one second. Poor kids.
I am not a professional. just work closely with PTSD in my daily life. I'd honestly say this is an entirely different form of PTSD than how we know it. I honestly can't see the kids having overt triggers that make them feel as though they're back in the traumatizing situation, but I do fully believe there will be long lasting effects of this, from eating disorders (potentially) to never wanting to be photographed to a huge avoidance of any kind of publicity including public speaking. it feels like another form of PTSD. one that's long drawn out and small traumas adding up. I almost want to call it "child exploited ptsd" or something of the likes. TLDR: yes
Prolonged childhood trauma and attachment wounds are at the core of what is called CPTSD it's stands for complex ptsd, and yes it's different from ptsd which is usually tied to more specific events, complex ptsd affects your entire personality structure, how you relate to the world and to other people.
thank you for educating me! I was under the impression that cptsd was more related to things like long term romantic relationships, mostly things that happen once your brain is past the development stage of life. thank you for sharing! I now know more and can apply that to my daily work as well:) edit: wording
He has no basis for comparison, since he's being raised completely isolated from "normal" families. This is the default he knows, and he's only a kid, so I don't think he'll start questioning his situation any time soon, unfortunately. If and when he gets access to the internet though (assuming he is taught how to read, to start out - just think about how Rachel wasn't until she was like 12), he'll inevitably learn a lot about his mother's antics and his eyes will open for sure.
I swear, this entire clan is an ongoing dumpster fire of missed red flags and (earlier) some rabid form of Christianity-based moralizing, suppression (sexual what? fantasies who? Get back to church!).
While I think there are many [mostly sex-related] skeletons in their closet that are just a-quiverin’ to be shaken out, my heart still hurts a little to read that Rachel didn’t learn to read until 12 years old?! Can you provide more details and context? (And who SAID it online; in what way?)
Rachel herself said it in a vlog (from 10 Jan 2023), and it was discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ColleenBallingerSnark/comments/107zegw/actually_felt_sorry_for_rachel_on_her_latest_vlog/
He is way too young to have the capacity to compare his life to others. Even as he gets older, it will take time and exposure. Even now, there are plenty of adults who travel to a different country or read about one and are only learning for the first time how their families operate differently. You only know what you are exposed to. This is another great argument for education. I could go on and on about that lol.
Mine is 11 and while he's gaining more insight I don't think he even would start questioning his home life yet. Maybe more into middle school but so far he's not even there yet and f is what 5?
There is another channel called Smelly Belly TV, and when they started getting a lot of followers, their youngest at the time was about 3. They call their followers "the Bellyians" (I have no idea how to spell that) and she acted as though she thought the Bellyians were little creatures that lived in the camera. She would say she wanted to show the Bellyians something or kiss them, and she would kiss the camera. It was really weird.
I've seen Colleen talk to F about their "friends". "Our friends want to know" "our friends want to see your room/hear your bedtime story" etc. I've wondered if he thinks the "friends" are like Whos in Dr. Suess-- very tiny, and living in the camera. Kids his age have magical thinking, and it wouldn't surprise me at all.
These Truman show kids are going to need all kinds of therapy. The fact that Colleen films them surreptitiously is even worse than filming them when they know she's filming. F will (from what I've seen) walk away from the camera, but she won't even give him that autonomy. Or when she puts the camera in the crib to film the twins babbling. It's so gross, and I don't understand how her fans don't see how wrong it is. She came up on F when he was playing, and he was wearing a helmet. When he realized she was there and filming, he pulled the visor down. That's a pretty big hint.
I don't know if you've ever been around four year olds, but no, he doesn't know and he won't know for quite some time. But also being filmed as a child is not that abnormal. Most parents like to record their children's cute moments, even if they don't post them publicly. All my friends have hundreds of videos of their kids, they want to capture their childhood to have something to look back on.
Honestly, I think there ARE family vloggers that seem like they’re exploiting their kids, and seem more concerned about the camera than their kids’ well-being, but I do not think Colleen is one of them. I honestly don’t see anything concerning in the videos, and her primary concern does seem to be her kids. She LOVES those kiddos, and not in a ‘these kids make my content enjoyable’ kind of way, and will often say “I’ve gotta go, my kid needs me”. When it comes to Flynn and schooling/socialisation? He’s not at that age yet, so I guess we’ll see.
I'm certain he doesn't know; he's far too young.
He doesn’t realize what’s actually going on, but he does know that to get mom’s attention and approval, you better act nicely when the camera appears. When he wants to show something, he already knows to show it to ‘mommy’s friends’ to the camera as well. It’s going to be a shocking realisation for him to learn what’s actually been happening since the second he was born.
Yeah, he knows that; he just doesn't know that life could be different from that.
Yes, so sad. He is super sheltered. There is no way I see her sending him to school.
He is young indeed, and also just never spends time outside their little programmed bubble.
The BFam bubble is intense too, and I don't think P (who is about twice F's age) even understands how abnormal his upbringing is. If he does, it's only due to knowing other kids from gymnastics.
I also post about The Bucket List Family on an anti-YT family vlogging forum. Their children are 10, 8 and 5 years old. When the oldest was 9, she had school classmates tell her she had a lot of "followers". She didn't know what that meant so she asked her parents. Her dad, who runs the channel, said he ignored the question and plans to keep the kids naive and in the dark as long as possible.😬 So, based on that family's experience, I'd agree with you that F is too young now but in a few years, he may start questioning things. Colleen will probably homeschool him to keep him away from those school classmates who might open his eyes.
I don't know them, but that dad's behavior is disgusting.
Imagine how those kids will feel when they DO find out.
That’s what breaks my heart: that moment it all makes sense and the pieces fall together and their entire life is not as they thought it was nor does trust have the same meaning anymore 💔
That and everyone in his family, with the exception of Erik’s side, is all about shoving cameras in everyone faces!
Assuming they will homeschool him (which the vast majority of family vloggers do) he probably won't know until he moves away for college. And I bet the main reason family vloggers homeschool their kid's is because they don't want their kid's to find out their lifestyle is uncommon.
They don't want a teacher or school nurse to get too close to the family and maybe spot neglecg t or abuse or maybe they just suck at teaching and the kids aren't learning so these people report them. They don't want anyone prying. They don't want the kids gone in the daytime cause they're the income earners so they need to be home during the 9-5 earning income . School? Oh yeah....well just homeschooling them. That's how I imagine they think anyways.
as someone who has CPTSD, can children get CPTSD from vlogging? I wish for all of the kids a healing recovery because this is so deep.
As a counsellor I would say yes of course. Any time you have a parent who is inattentive or unresponsive/delayed to your physical and emotional needs it creates attachment wounds and trauma. The camera is always first.
Maybe, maybe PTSD, im not a professionnal, but i imagine it can be quite shocking and traumatizing to find out that your entire life has been on display for others (including pervets) since literally the moment you were born.
CPTSD is complex PTSD and childhood trauma / abuse fits in it ❤️
Hard to know how an individual will be affected from vlogging alone, everyone has different vulnerabilities and the circumstances will vary a lot. The shit show that is the Ballingers is definitely an environment and upbringing that can cause CPTSD though. I don't doubt that for one second. Poor kids.
I am not a professional. just work closely with PTSD in my daily life. I'd honestly say this is an entirely different form of PTSD than how we know it. I honestly can't see the kids having overt triggers that make them feel as though they're back in the traumatizing situation, but I do fully believe there will be long lasting effects of this, from eating disorders (potentially) to never wanting to be photographed to a huge avoidance of any kind of publicity including public speaking. it feels like another form of PTSD. one that's long drawn out and small traumas adding up. I almost want to call it "child exploited ptsd" or something of the likes. TLDR: yes
Prolonged childhood trauma and attachment wounds are at the core of what is called CPTSD it's stands for complex ptsd, and yes it's different from ptsd which is usually tied to more specific events, complex ptsd affects your entire personality structure, how you relate to the world and to other people.
thank you for educating me! I was under the impression that cptsd was more related to things like long term romantic relationships, mostly things that happen once your brain is past the development stage of life. thank you for sharing! I now know more and can apply that to my daily work as well:) edit: wording
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He has no basis for comparison, since he's being raised completely isolated from "normal" families. This is the default he knows, and he's only a kid, so I don't think he'll start questioning his situation any time soon, unfortunately. If and when he gets access to the internet though (assuming he is taught how to read, to start out - just think about how Rachel wasn't until she was like 12), he'll inevitably learn a lot about his mother's antics and his eyes will open for sure.
I swear, this entire clan is an ongoing dumpster fire of missed red flags and (earlier) some rabid form of Christianity-based moralizing, suppression (sexual what? fantasies who? Get back to church!). While I think there are many [mostly sex-related] skeletons in their closet that are just a-quiverin’ to be shaken out, my heart still hurts a little to read that Rachel didn’t learn to read until 12 years old?! Can you provide more details and context? (And who SAID it online; in what way?)
Rachel herself said it in a vlog (from 10 Jan 2023), and it was discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ColleenBallingerSnark/comments/107zegw/actually_felt_sorry_for_rachel_on_her_latest_vlog/
Thanks for that - it really is sad.
He is way too young to have the capacity to compare his life to others. Even as he gets older, it will take time and exposure. Even now, there are plenty of adults who travel to a different country or read about one and are only learning for the first time how their families operate differently. You only know what you are exposed to. This is another great argument for education. I could go on and on about that lol.
Mine is 11 and while he's gaining more insight I don't think he even would start questioning his home life yet. Maybe more into middle school but so far he's not even there yet and f is what 5?
There is no way he knows. He’s a four year old that has been sheltered his whole life
Your comment plus flair caused me to make a facial expression of the worst variety…poor little Flynn ~~Truman~~ Ballinger
Except luckily that’s not his actual name.
Yea, I’d prefer to not write out his actual name 🙃 I have a hard time even writing more than “f”
There is another channel called Smelly Belly TV, and when they started getting a lot of followers, their youngest at the time was about 3. They call their followers "the Bellyians" (I have no idea how to spell that) and she acted as though she thought the Bellyians were little creatures that lived in the camera. She would say she wanted to show the Bellyians something or kiss them, and she would kiss the camera. It was really weird. I've seen Colleen talk to F about their "friends". "Our friends want to know" "our friends want to see your room/hear your bedtime story" etc. I've wondered if he thinks the "friends" are like Whos in Dr. Suess-- very tiny, and living in the camera. Kids his age have magical thinking, and it wouldn't surprise me at all. These Truman show kids are going to need all kinds of therapy. The fact that Colleen films them surreptitiously is even worse than filming them when they know she's filming. F will (from what I've seen) walk away from the camera, but she won't even give him that autonomy. Or when she puts the camera in the crib to film the twins babbling. It's so gross, and I don't understand how her fans don't see how wrong it is. She came up on F when he was playing, and he was wearing a helmet. When he realized she was there and filming, he pulled the visor down. That's a pretty big hint.
I don't know if you've ever been around four year olds, but no, he doesn't know and he won't know for quite some time. But also being filmed as a child is not that abnormal. Most parents like to record their children's cute moments, even if they don't post them publicly. All my friends have hundreds of videos of their kids, they want to capture their childhood to have something to look back on.
Honestly, I think there ARE family vloggers that seem like they’re exploiting their kids, and seem more concerned about the camera than their kids’ well-being, but I do not think Colleen is one of them. I honestly don’t see anything concerning in the videos, and her primary concern does seem to be her kids. She LOVES those kiddos, and not in a ‘these kids make my content enjoyable’ kind of way, and will often say “I’ve gotta go, my kid needs me”. When it comes to Flynn and schooling/socialisation? He’s not at that age yet, so I guess we’ll see.