Kindness Campers, please!

And the Courage to Be Better

Something happened in a vanlife group that’s been sitting heavy with me. I won’t name names; this isn’t about starting drama. But someone posted a photo of a stranger’s motorhome, mocked their parking choice, and framed it as concern for a nearby child who was in said photo.

It felt like a public shaming wrapped in community concern. And I think we need to talk about it.

A Personal Lens

I travel solo with my beautiful son, Leo. He has Down Syndrome, joyful, full of curiosity, and his extra chromosome means he sees the world a little differently. We don’t always get things right. We sometimes park a little wonky, rarely level and probably painful to watch, but that being said, we’re learning. We’re part of this community. And we do our best.

So when I see someone being ridiculed publicly, online for something that could have been sorted with a kind conversation, it hits home and it hits hard.

This Wasn’t About Football

Let’s be honest, this post wasn’t about a child or his football. The child had parents. If there had been a genuine issue, they could have handled it. The problem was the view. That the poster’s view was “spoiled.” That someone else dared to park in a way they wouldn’t have, and obscured the view they’d previously enjoyed.

And instead of a gentle word, they reached for their phone to photograph it.

The Real Risk Isn’t Speaking — It’s Shaming

The poster justified not approaching the person by saying they didn’t want to risk confrontation or damage to their van. But there’s a much greater risk in quietly taking photos of strangers and children, and posting them to ridicule in public forums.

What if the person in the photo was in that particular group? What if they see it? What if next time, Leo and I are the ones being photographed because Leo does something a bit different or unexpected, but harmless?

There’s a real safeguarding concern here, not from the people being judged, but from those behind the lens.

The Community I Do Believe In

I refuse to believe that this person is representative of vanlife. And I’m saying that with full confidence, because Leo and I have had nothing but kindness from fellow campers and travellers. We’ve had DMs, comments, waves, advice, even strangers popping over to say hello or offer help.

That’s the real community. That’s who we want to be around.

The Plea

We don’t need to be best friends at every pitch. But we can choose to be good humans. We can offer guidance instead of judgement. Kindness instead of callouts. And patience instead of passive-aggression.

Please tell me that person was the exception, not the rule, because Leo and I are trusting this community with more than just miles. We’re trusting it with moments and memories. We’d like to believe we’re in good company.

🧭 If this resonated with you, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Share a story, a moment of kindness, or a time you felt welcomed. Let’s show that this community really is made of good humans.

#TheWonkyCompass #vanlife #mumswonkythoughts #CookingCampfiresChromosomes #VanlifeWithHeart #kindness