I think that a lot of these family vlog channels are exploitative on some level, but I find these parents to be especially egregious. On many other family channels I have watched the kids AT LEAST seem to be benefiting somewhat from their work on the channel. The parents take the kids on shopping sprees, nice family vacations, and eventually they buy a bigger home to accommodate everyone. The kids make money for the channel, but we also get to see them reap some of the benefits. It seems like these parents are hogging a lot of the money for themselves. They buy themselves luxurious clothes, and go on getaways to nice hotels. The kids get none of that. The housing situation confuses me because if they actually got a free home from Tim's parents wouldn't a sell result in all profit? The profit, combined with the money they are already making should be enough to find something bigger. If they can afford a BMW, and Louboutins they can afford another home. I bet if Tim and Ella were told they had to share their bedroom with 3 other people they would be trying harder to look for a new house. I hope for the kid's sake that this new baby is a boy. Putting a newborn in Heze, and Rue's small room isn't ideal. But, I just can't imagine cramming a 5th child into the girl's room. Poor Halle, and Harper already share a bed. What's the game plan for when they are older and they physically can't share the bed? Hoping for twins?! How irresponsible! No consideration for how this will effect the kid's living arrangements. Ella's dad said he worked hard, and got the family a 5 bedroom house. She only has 2 sisters I believe, so she probably grew up with a room to herself. Tim was clearly spoiled as a child, and hasn't had to lift a finger. They say they don't need a bigger home, but they do. It might even be different if they said they simply couldn't afford it right now, but they are acting like it's not even in the cards. It's like they want this “humble” life for their kids that they didn't even grow up in even though the kids are the ones paying the bills.
I really feel for these kids. The gender role stuff is disturbing. Halle wanted to play soccer, but Ella's afraid she won't be as feminine so that's never going to happen. She could be just as good or better than Heze for all she knows. Besides at her age it's mainly about having fun. It's not that serious. That video where Ella was sick, and Hosanna had to take over the house was crazy. They've clearly left her in charge many times before because Tim had no urgency to get back home. The practice was unnecessary to begin with, but then to go and get a haircut afterwards? What the heck?! These kids should be in a real school imo. Homeschooling can be beneficial when done well, but they clearly aren't doing it right. It might be best for Heze to be homeschooled because he's already tried it, and it didn't work out. It's also best for his soccer schedule I guess. Although I still don't think they gave it a fair shake with him at least he got to experience it. None of the others have ever had the opportunity. I think Harper, and Rue would especially thrive in a school setting. Harper is an avid reader, and Rue is very sharp. Halle has an outgoing personality, and would fit right in I think. Houston is still very young so she would also fit right in as well. Hosanna would probably need more help catching up, but it could be done with some effort. Of course this won't happen because the parents are keeping a tight rein on them. They should want them in school too. It would give everybody a break, and give the kids much needed socialization.
They need to invest more in their family. Spending some money upfront on fun activities will make their channel more interesting, which will result in more viewers in the long run. Ella shouldn't have to get pregnant every 2 years for them to have something to talk about. It gets boring after awhile anyway. I want to see the kids having some real fun. We've had enough hair videos to last a lifetime. Do more adventurous things. Rent an RV for a few days, and explore the English countryside for example. Maybe go camping, or fishing. When it's safe have another family fun day, and set up activities for the kids to do. Invite their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Covid should be taken into consideration, but it doesn't seem like they take it seriously anyway. It would be interesting to see how they interact with other kids. They could also do more practical things. Do grocery hauls, and show us what they eat in a week. How much does it cost to feed their large family? I doubt they still have the dog, but if they do they could do a series of videos just focused on the dog. People love animals in general, especially when they are babies. They could show us the puppy's first bath and walk. Show us the kids playing with the dog. Have the girls dance to appropriate songs, and show us how they come up with some appropriate dance routines.
They also need to invest more in their viewers. They shouldn't be pulling away saying things like “We don't have time to read your comments”. They are lying anyway because they delete comments all the time, and also like some of them. You have to be taking the time to read them in order to do that. They just don't want to take the time to write a short message to acknowledge these people that support them loyally. Do a livestream every once in a while, and say hello to some of the viewers. They could even do a giveaway. Giveaway a Grimwade Gang sweathshirt or something. I'm sure some people would love that. That's how you grow viewership. It's why YouTubers with millions of subscribers still do stuff like this because they know it creates engagement, and keeps people interested. Like someone said a few pages back I've never seen them do something that didn't benefit themselves. All they do is beg for money (like when they set up the Patreon), and take. As Christians shouldn't they be more giving? They could do some charity work like helping the homeless. That would make a nice video. But, it seems like the focus is only on how people can help them.