Ingrid
failure-to-launch mother: ingrid (58)
Ingrid’s Daughter: madison (29) & Justin (34)
Ingrid’s son-in-law / madison’s husband: Rob (29)
Ingrid’s son: DALLAS (26)
Location: FOUR OAKS, NORTH CAROLINA
Ingrid is an experienced realtor who has led a life filled with twists and turns. Born in the Philippines, she relocated to Northern California at the age of 16. It was there that she met her ex-husband, Larry, at a local watering hole. Together, they built a life, several businesses, and raised their six children. They separated a decade ago and finalized their divorce five years ago. Larry played a significant financial role in Ingrid's life, even after their separation and subsequent divorce. She would frequently turn to him for financial support, and he always came through for her. However, in October 2022, tragedy struck as Larry unexpectedly passed away at his home in Florida during Hurricane Ian. Larry's absence marked the beginning of a downward spiral for Ingrid. In the aftermath of her ex-husband's passing, Ingrid found herself struggling to live on her own.
The severity of Ingrid's decline was revealed to her family when she suffered a head injury after a night out, landing her in the hospital. It was then that Ingrid reached out to her second-youngest child, Madison, for help. Madison and her new husband, Justin, sprang into action and devised a plan to move Ingrid in with them and assist her with getting her life back on track.
Madison has always been the glue in her family and though her siblings live all over the country and even internationally, her home has served as a "landing spot" for family members during various transitions in their lives. So, it came as no surprise when Madison and Justin spared no expense to accommodate Ingrid, even going as far as redesigning one of the bedrooms in their North Carolina home to accommodate Ingrid's unexpected move. In addition, Madison handled getting Ingrid's affairs settled in Northern California, and arranging movers to get Ingrid's belongings moved to her home across the country.
But Ingrid's move in with Madison and Justin had one simple condition: Ingrid could stay with them for twelve months without paying rent if she adhered to a budget plan they designed to help her eliminate her debt. Ingrid agreed to Madison and Justin's conditions, but has yet to make good on her side of the agreement. A few months after moving in with Madison and Justin, Ingrid secured her "dream job" as a business coach for realtors at a local brokerage. Unfortunately, Ingrid's job at the brokerage was short-lived.
Ingrid overindulged in every area of her life thinking that she had a steady paycheck coming in, and she managed to get herself even further into debt. Meanwhile, Ingrid's son, Dallas, also lives in North Carolina just up the road from Madison and Justin's home. As a result, Ingrid often uses Dallas' house as a "getaway" from Madison and Justin and their strict rules. She feels that they are too controlling, and the three disagree on household issues especially when it comes to how "clutter-free" certain areas of the house should be at any given time.
One significant challenge Ingrid faces is her lack of a car. She sold her vehicle in California and hasn't been able to afford a new one due to her financial struggles. Ingrid has started dropping not-so-subtle hints about wanting Madison to buy her a car. However, Madison and Justin have decided to set clear boundaries with their financial support for Ingrid. While they initially enjoyed spoiling her, they now realize that some tough love is in order, as Ingrid's lack of effort in her job search is becoming more and more apparent. Justin laments that in addition to not applying for enough jobs, Ingrid is purposely applying for jobs for which she is completely unqualified for. He suspects that Ingrid is intentionally dragging out her search because she feels no motivation or reason to find a job quickly because Ingrid assumes that Madison and Justin will not hold her to the deadline they "agreed" on when she moved in.
Ingrid often confides in Dallas and her other children that she feels like Madison and Justin are setting unreasonable expectations for her, and there have been heated arguments amongst Ingrid's children about how Madison and Justin's current "plan" for Ingrid is too strict. Though the other children disagree, the fact remains that none of them want Ingrid to come and live with them, which puts Madison in a spot of feeling abandoned by them and left to do this all on her own.
Tensions are mounting within Ingrid's family, especially concerning the upcoming settlement of Larry's estate. Ingrid believes that her children should help her regain her independence with the assets from his estate. However, Ingrid wasn’t left anything and is resentful of her children receiving Larry's assets. Ingrid feels entitled to a share of Larry’s assets because she believes she helped accumulate his wealth during their marriage.
Madison and Justin know that this living situation has an expiration date, and may soon be forced to set a firm date for Ingrid to take control of her life. Justin fears that the situation with Ingrid living with them could have long-lasting impacts on Madison's relationship with her mother if things don't change. The question remains: Will Ingrid be able to find the strength to write her next chapter or will she sit back in her stagnant circumstances forever?