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If you’ve followed our family for a while, you already know the internet has opinions about my 13-year old’s bedroom—the space people jokingly (and sometimes not so jokingly) call “the apartment”. And when we recently packed it up and moved her out of it, those opinions multiplied.

Some people assumed we forced her out. Some thought it was unfair. Some decided the whole situation was strange.

So today, I want to explain what actually happened, why we made the decision, and what we’re teaching our kids through it.

First: It Was Never Really an Apartment

The name “apartment” wasn’t ours—the internet gave it that label, and it stuck. It was simply a bedroom in our home with a little extra independence built in. I’ve shared a tour before, and the whole purpose of the space was intentional:

• to teach responsibility
• to give her independence
• to let her manage her own environment
• and eventually, to provide a place she could live as a young adult while saving for her first home

And she handled it beautifully. She kept it clean, maintained her routines, and really thrived in that space.

Then Something Changed

Recently, a mom and her daughter needed a place to land for a while. In our home, we try to teach our kids that blessings aren’t meant to be hoarded—sometimes God gives you something so you can use it to help someone else.

And here’s the part the internet doesn’t know:
This was actually Isabella’s idea.

She came to us and suggested giving up her space. We agreed immediately.

Why Her Choice Meant So Much

Three years ago, we lost our home and our pets in a house fire. I’ll never forget the drive home from work—calling my dad, sobbing, telling him, “My children don’t have a home, Where will we live?”

His response was instant:
“Well, you’ll move in with us of course!”

That simple certainty brought me so much peace. It was like he was saying, “Obviously. Where else would you go?”

So when Isabella asked if this family could move in, I felt that same certainty.
Of course. Obviously. Yes.

I know what it feels like to need someone to open their home to you.

And Isabella didn’t just offer the idea—she led the whole transition. She slept on an air mattress in our master suite. She told us where she wanted her clothes, her bathroom items, her things. She took ownership of the sacrifice.

The Internet Saw 30 Seconds and Filled in the Rest

For years, people online said the space was too big for one kid. That she shouldn’t have it. That it was excessive.

Now that we’ve used the space to help someone else, suddenly people think it’s unfair that she gave it up.

That’s the internet for you—quick opinions, incomplete stories. You can never win.

But This Isn’t Really About a Bedroom

The bigger lesson is about how we hold the things we’ve been given.

So many people cling tightly to their possessions:

“I earned this.”
“It’s mine.”
“I deserve this.”
“Look what I bought.”

So it’s no surprise some people were shocked when we opened our home.

But we don’t view this house as ours. We view it as God’s. When we built it, I felt a clear conviction from the Holy Spirit that our doors were meant to stay open—metaphorically and literally—for others.

In our family, we try to hold our blessings loosely.
Because sometimes God gives you extra space or extra resources so you can use them to help someone else.

Isabella understood that. She saw an opportunity to serve.

This Isn’t Martyrdom—It’s Growth

If you aren’t one of the trolls online, please don’t see this as some heroic act. It’s not. It’s a blessing for us too.

It reminds us of what God has entrusted us.
It reminds us of where we came from.
It’s good practice to live with less for a while.
It’s a chance to be content again.
It’s a season of growth.

The Apartment Isn’t the Story

The real story is simple:

We had something that could help someone else.
And we chose to use it that way.

I’m incredibly proud of the heart our daughter showed. Teaching our kids to have servant hearts matters far more than teaching them to hold tightly to space or stuff.

So yes—the “apartment” is gone for now.
But in its place is something far more meaningful!

If you want links to the products used in this video, you can find them here: https://liketk.it/5YOiB