Mom-of-two abandons home in Pennsylvania to live on board CRUISE SHIP year-round - and her kids have 'zero concept' their life isn't normal

Published: 06:16, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 06:25, 22 May 2026 A mother and her two children decided to flee their Pennsylvania home and live on a cruise ship. Jessie Trondeau, 40, documents her life at sea with her children, opting to give them a childhood of traveling the world rather than a typical upbringing. Trondeau told People in an interview that her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter have 'zero concept' that their lives are out of the ordinary. The family stays on the boat six months at a time so the children can be close to their father, Krasimir, who works as a crew member. Despite living out on the ocean, the children still get a very normal upbringing, with, of course, a few extra perks that come with living on a cruise ship. A regular day for the family starts with breakfast, followed by Trondeau doing about two to three hours of schoolwork with the kids, according to the outlet. She drops the children off at the kids' club and gives the mother some time for herself before scooping them back up to swim in the pool and to eat dinner. 'Almost every night we see a show,' says Jessie. 'And then we do books and bedtime.' Jessie Trondeau, 40, documents her life at sea with her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter and partner The family spend six months at a time on cruise ship as the father Krasimir works as a crew member  On days the ship docks, the family gets together to explore destinations. She describes family life at sea as 'fun in an enormous amount of ways.' Trondeau wrote on social media that as her child gets older, she'll try to transition her family to 'a more “normal" life!' However, she added that for now, they are just taking things in stride. The mother explained to People how even the children get asked questions about life on board, ‘for them, this is basically just home. They don't see it as strange.’ Trondeau's Instagram features many adventures with her, including excursions to places like Bermuda and St. Maarten. 'I get seasick, but I'm the only one in my family who does,' said Trondeau to the outlet. She also mentioned that while many would believe that never having to cook would be a dream come true, she misses having the opportunity to make whatever she wants. Is it responsible parenting to raise kids on a cruise ship without a traditional home or community? What's your view? The mother explained to People how even the children get asked questions about life on board, ‘for them, this is basically just home. They don't see it as strange’ The mother explained that life on cruise ship comes with challenges such as getting seasick and noted that perhaps in the future when the children get older they would transition to ‘a more “normal" life' In another online post, she explained that she is responsible for cleaning their room: 'It is true that I don't have to cook!' 'That said - I do have to do/manage laundry, wash dishes (not many, but some!), vacuum and manage the tornado of detritus that seems to accrue around kids.' 'I'm not complaining in any way!!! Life is good...but it comes with chores.' A few comments on her posts criticize Trondeau for raising her kids on a boat, noting that there's no stability. The remarks appear not to bother her as she replied to one saying: 'I agree! Stability is extremely important, and schedules/discipline are crucial'.  'That's why I'm so glad my children have such stable lives.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.