My thoughts on Rachel Oates’ video entitled,” The saga of Karissa Collins.”

Please be warned my post covers issues around motherhood and parenting that maybe upsetting for you to read.

Once upon a time there lived a woman like many others who dreamt of having a baby. She decided along with her husband to put all her faith into God, in blessing her with a child. Once the child was born she continued to keep putting her faith in Him. The Lord would be the families’ financial advisor and the couple would keep having children even when they were running up bills upon bills.

Except this wasn’t quite the case because as Rachel Oates’ deep dive delves into, the woman I wrote about above, also lies and changes her narrative to suit her. It turns out marriage and babies weren’t so much on Karissa Collins’ cards as a young lady. It is however a narrative she developed to appeal to her readership.

After all who can’t empathise with a woman trying her best to make and raise a family and even having to let go and accept somethings are God’s way? Even I as an atheist understand the psychological appeal of letting life work out for itself.

What I also empathise somewhat with, is embellishing the truth by changing your persona into something that is going to get you a following and make you some money. Bills have to be paid after all.

Yet, when you make out that you’re a loving but overtired mum of a big family and sell this as the only lifestyle righteous women must follow (separate to common harridans and heathens) and if this isn’t what you yourself experienced, then it resembles a grift.

What Rachel’s video looks into is the grift of people like Karissa and before her, Ruby Franke who was in fact abusing her children behind their smiles portrayed on screen. Rachel isn’t interested in taking down mum bloggers or mums in general but the ones who show one face to the world and another within the four walls. The narcissists, egotists and con people.

Karissa herself hasn’t found to be abusing her children but where her blog has drawn concerns from many people (who are inclined to read blogs) is that she has put her children’s lives in danger. As well as her dogs life.

As a mum with a heart condition, to have another child puts me at severe risk so I decided to just have one. In fact to raise one child to the best of my ability and see her grow so well is more than enough for me. I want her to be more free than I was and experience unconditional love, devoid of selfish designs. I never understood the need or desire to have a big family. However, I do know that in order to prepare for anything and particularly the care of at least one vulnerable being, you have to know you are capable of providing for them.

As much as I see the younger generation be admonished for being older parents or leaving it too late to be a parent I also see a better understanding of issues that traditional, pro natalist Conservatives push under the carpet. It’s o.k to look back at your childhood with a critical lens and think about what you’d like to do differently as an adult.

Karissa Collins doesn’t trust medicine, science, health care professionals, vaccinations and instead leads her child to near death from sepsis from being woefully underprepared and under motivated. She later makes out whether or not believed at the time, that God will heal.

She also leaves wet dog food for her dog for a fortnight and upon seeing maggots does not empty or clean the bowl. It’s safe to say Karrisa has deep, psychological issues.

However when people leave comments and some, intentionally helpful ones asking her to seek support and practical help or that she should be able learn from these mistakes, she only replies in the defensive. That she’s a victim of society’s feminism and denigration of mothers. She appears to not understand the serious implications of her actions and treats these experiences as lessons to trust God.

Even financially, she and her husband who both have a business degree decide to scrap spreadsheets and budgeting and say Jesus is their sole financial advisor.

Furthermore Karissa sells this as a lifestyle for other women to pursue and follow.

There are also more instances of child neglect that Rachel discusses in her video as well as Karissa’s racism and homophobia which she involves her children in. Karissa in fact married a Black man but is proof that unless you take the time to know your foreign partner as a human being, you can actually still be racist, regardless of your marrying them.

It’s like Karissa wants to be a child forever, making (in her mind) cute videos, taking cute photos, singing with children, ignoring when they get sick thereby attempting to suppress her stress. In God she seeks and needs the definitive father figure.

Her saga is actually a case against homeschooling for parents who hide their psychological illness underneath religion or another blanket. It’s not parents like (conservative commentator) Matt Walsh who appear to have a grip on reality (despite being contentious to quite a liberal society) who are dangerous. He does at least integrate himself and children in society and undergoes checks as a homeschooling parent. It’s people like Karissa, who are the glaring danger, a hazard to her own family.

Which doesn’t bring me any pleasure to write, in fact it shows a really sad state of affairs and by Rachel Oates exposing this woman, hopefully helps to lead children towards a safer environment.

I’m for mums looking after their own children but I also know that some mums aren’t able to before they look after their own trauma first. I’m pretty sure there’s a reason behind Karissa’s highly neglectful behaviour and it’s to do with her own past experiences that she’s never addressed. Hence her odd reactions towards certain situations.

I recommend watching Rachel’s video, if you can. Sometimes the hardest videos lead to the most reflection and incentive to help.

Often times on YouTube, people will criticise a commentator for being a dog whistle to dangerous views just by them discussing and critiquing certain figures. In Rachel’s case she’s been accused of being derogatory towards specifically religious and anti feminist and anti liberal people. She hasn’t, she has criticised their selling of a certain lifestyle and their damnation of those who don’t follow it. She’s also been thanked for raising awareness of issues she’s experienced herself.