Rob

GRANDParent: Ted (71)

Parent: Eric (53)

Adult Child: Rob (29)

Location: EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

At a mere 29 years of age, Rob finds himself at a crucial juncture in his life, teetering on the precipice of a mid-life crisis. Rob has never been able to hold down a job. He’s never really been able to live on his own without the assistance of his family. He’s struggled in romantic relationships. His journey to this point has been tumultuous, to say the least, marked by a wild streak throughout his teens and early 20s, where fun, partying, and mischief took precedence over finding his independence and stability.

Rob's story took an unexpected turn when he met his ex-girlfriend, Emily. The two fell in love, and for the first time in years, Rob felt a sense of home. Rob moved into Emily's house and unfortunately, their incompatibility was uncovered. Their relationship eventually crumbled, and he had to move out of their shared home quickly. In his time of need, Rob turned to his father, Eric who offered him shelter in his home.

Eric and Rob have always struggled to see eye to eye and living together again, this time as adults, only made matters worse. Eric is a clean freak and Rob is...not. As tensions of living under the same roof grew higher, Eric saw the only solution was to offer Rob an RV that Eric had parked in his driveway. This gesture came with a condition: Rob had to find a place to park the RV. Once Rob's grandfather, Ted, heard about Rob and Eric's arrangement, Ted offered for Rob to park the RV on the family's business property.

Rob has worked for the family business off and on throughout the years, and Ted saw an opportunity in Rob's presence living on the property as it helped deter overnight theft, a problem the business has faced. In many ways, Rob has always felt like an outcast from his family, and living in an RV in a commercial park while the rest of his family are in houses nearby only makes that feeling more real. Though Ted thought the arrangement of Rob living in the RV on the property would be temporary, now they are a year and a half into this arrangement and there are no signs that Rob will be leaving anytime soon. They are sick of bailing him out financially and providing a place for him to stay.

Rob is terrible with money. He loves to enjoy nights going to dinner, or to the bar, and generously foots the bill for his fellow patrons, often going into debt to do so. Though he makes decent money according to his father and grandfather, Rob has nothing to show for it, and has failed to save any money despite living rent free.

The sole purpose of this arrangement was to give Rob an opportunity to establish himself financially so he could be well-prepared to take the next step in his life all on his own. Additionally, Eric is worried about Rob ending up like Teddy, Eric's step-brother, who has never truly launched into independence. Teddy is 53 years old and has never lived independently from his family and finds himself currently living with his 93-year-old grandmother. Eric remains wary of Rob's friendship with Teddy, fearing he could be a negative influence on Rob. Eric and Ted don’t like when Teddy comes around, and have warned Rob about having Teddy on the property.

Rob's life is at a crossroads. Down one path is Rob getting his act together and moving out of the RV and finally living life independently. Down the other, is Rob living in a dilapidated RV for the rest of his life. Rob is grappling with the challenges of adulthood along with the tremendous pressure he feels from his family. The hardest part of Rob's current situation is his realizing that he is the master of his own destiny. The question remains: will Rob forge a new path for himself or will he live penniless in an RV parked in a business park forever?