Man, was the survivalist/poor as dirt mentality a JW thing? This resonates so much with me. I grew up in a small trailer with several relatives. When I went into foster care and had a room to myself, I got scared because I wasn't used to so much space, but when I came back to the trailer it felt claustrophobic. When I hitchhiked around as an older teenager, I was sometimes lucky enough to live in a spare bedroom or motel room for weeks at a stretch. By myself? No problem. Introduce another person or a family? PROBLEMS. I still love the idea of little houses, but only as a studio/clubhouse/treehouse concept. As in, a little place to go be alone from time to time, but with the option to return to a living space that accommodates everyone's need for privacy.

You nailed exactly what people don't realize when they romanticize the simple life/pioneer life. Fuck a buncha Little House in the Big Woods.