Batsy
Well-known member
I think a very underrated topic - that I don’t see anyone talking about - when it comes to living in a vehicle is setting/asserting boundaries with guests who enter your space.
I feel like for a lot of people who you might welcome into your vehicle/home, it simply doesn’t click in their heads that in that moment, they’re a guest in somebody else’s home and should act appropriately. I believe that for probably all vehicle dwellers, there are going to be moments in your journey when you need to set boundaries with people overstepping while in your vehicle.
For me, some ways this has looked has been having a talk with friends about leaving trash in my van after hanging out, being assertive with another friend of mine after he opened a container of alcohol in my van while I was driving specifically after I told him not to, or making it clear to someone I was giving a ride to that the amount of times they commented on a smell in my van was becoming excessive and they were being rude. The list goes on.
On more than one occasion when setting a boundary in my own space, I was met with the people who were overstepping replying with some excuse about how they “don’t like being told what to do.” If anyone ever tries to tell you this when you set a boundary, hold your ground. I found that in these situations, making it clear that 1) right now you’re a guest in my home, and 2) right now I’m setting a boundary about my home, and 3) I do expect you to respect my boundaries while you’re in my home (otherwise leave, if it comes to that) tends to give people the reality check they need.
I find that often the people who you end up needing to be assertive about boundaries with are often people you’re friends with.
What approaches have y’all found tend to work and not work for you?
What kinds of situations have you run into where you’ve needed to set/assert a boundary in your vehicle?
Let’s have a discussion about this, I feel it’s an important topic that a lot of us run into from time to time and it might be helpful to talk about it.
I feel like for a lot of people who you might welcome into your vehicle/home, it simply doesn’t click in their heads that in that moment, they’re a guest in somebody else’s home and should act appropriately. I believe that for probably all vehicle dwellers, there are going to be moments in your journey when you need to set boundaries with people overstepping while in your vehicle.
For me, some ways this has looked has been having a talk with friends about leaving trash in my van after hanging out, being assertive with another friend of mine after he opened a container of alcohol in my van while I was driving specifically after I told him not to, or making it clear to someone I was giving a ride to that the amount of times they commented on a smell in my van was becoming excessive and they were being rude. The list goes on.
On more than one occasion when setting a boundary in my own space, I was met with the people who were overstepping replying with some excuse about how they “don’t like being told what to do.” If anyone ever tries to tell you this when you set a boundary, hold your ground. I found that in these situations, making it clear that 1) right now you’re a guest in my home, and 2) right now I’m setting a boundary about my home, and 3) I do expect you to respect my boundaries while you’re in my home (otherwise leave, if it comes to that) tends to give people the reality check they need.
I find that often the people who you end up needing to be assertive about boundaries with are often people you’re friends with.
What approaches have y’all found tend to work and not work for you?
What kinds of situations have you run into where you’ve needed to set/assert a boundary in your vehicle?
Let’s have a discussion about this, I feel it’s an important topic that a lot of us run into from time to time and it might be helpful to talk about it.
