First born is Matt, an energetic and spirited young man who lives up to being a role model to his younger brothers and sisters. He hasn't always been as intelligent as he is now. As a rebellious teen he was forced into adolescence without any guidance from an older brother or sister, so he learnt everything the hard way. During high school, he became best friends with John Hamilton who he later shared an apartment with. Matt also had strong relationships with two girls - Heather, a deaf woman who he was on and off again with a lot throughout his young adult life, and Shana, who he broke up with after she moved to NYU. It took him several years to finally realize what he wanted to become in life - a person who helps people - so, he turned his hand to a career as a doctor. After a job at the local hospital and clinic for almost three years, Matt decided he didn't want to face medical school without a loving partner, so he went out in search of a wife. Matt then met Sarah, a Jewish woman, who also had her heart set on pursuing a career in the medical field. They instantly fell in love, and after struggles with their family because of their different religions, were finally married with blessings from both sides of the family. Matt and Sarah are now husband and wife and are both attending medical school at Columbia University in New York.

The oldest of the Camden daughters is Mary, who's become quite an established young adult. In her high school years, Mary was particularly athletic, especially in basketball, and everyone in the family believed she would follow a career in sport. However, when she, and her teammates, became upset when their coach imposed a lockout on the season, they broke into the school gym and vandalized it, eventually being caught by the police and arrested. Mary then continued on her downward spiral and Eric and Annie were forced to take extreme actions. They decided it was best to send her to live with The Colonel in Buffalo. Mary reacted to this harshly in the beginning but as she started to build up a life in Buffalo, she matured and grew into a vibrant young woman. She was even involved in charity work and was in a steady relationship with an ex again, Wilson West. After rejecting his marriage proposal, she moved back to living in the attic with Lucy and Ruthie. Mary was up in arms for several months, not knowing who she should be with or what she should do with the rest of her life. Following her father's wishes she applied for college. In the end, she decided it was Ben who she wanted to be with. Mary resolved that she wanted to become an airline hostess, so she's now renting an apartment and taking college classes back in Buffalo. She continues to be in close contact with her family, and maintains her big sister image to the rest of her siblings.

Although Lucy is probably the most outgoing of the Camden children, she is easily the most stubborn. Since the age of 13, she was always actively involved with petitions and many extracurricular activities. In her senior years, she became occupied with Habitat for Humanity. Annie, who also likes constructing in her spare time, worked with Lucy on a second bathroom for the house. Up until Mary's defiant behaviour, Lucy and Mary maintained a strong sister relationship, often sharing a lot of their personal problems with each other. This all changed though as they grew apart and problems, mostly to do with boys, continued to come between them. Robbie, Mary's ex-boyfriend, played a crucial role, as they spent a long time fighting over who should be with him. Lucy's strongest relationship was with Jeremy, who she was engaged to at one point, and was even considering moving to New York to be with. But after parent trouble, they broke it off. Mike Pierce was also one of her closer friends during high school. At the moment Lucy's taking college classes in Glen Oak to follow in her father's footsteps and become a minister. While on a trip to Buffalo with Mary, she met Kevin, Ben's older brother, and felt an instant attraction. Kevin then quickly transferred to the Glen Oak police department to be with her. Lucy's life is now beginning to come together, and we are watching her mature into a fiery young woman.

The middle child, and the oldest son living in the house, is Simon. Youthful, lively and sharp witted, Simon would constantly find himself in exciting situations as a boy. When he was a pre-teen, he would spend a lot of time with his sister, Ruthie, and his dog, Happy. During Simon's junior year at school, he had his first girlfriend, Deena, who he stayed with for over a year. They were forced to separate, however, because her family was leaving Glen Oak. Simon then began his first year of high school, and became very self conscious and interested in being part of the popular group at school. His relationship with Ruthie was also not as strong, as he started becoming interested in socializing and girls. Since Deena's departure, Simon has only had one other lasting relationship with a girl named Sasha. This fell apart quickly however. Simon's first job was at Pete's Pizza helping the manager with his finances. Simon's also hoping to be driving his own car soon and applied for his learner's permit, which he was granted. Now that he is 15, he is becoming a lot more rebellious, and even found himself drunk after a party one night. After a conscientious speech to Eric and Annie, promising he would be more mature and think about the consequences of his own actions, Simon has yet to falter. When Matt announced he was leaving, Simon had hoped to take over as the role model of the family, however Matt chose Robbie as his best man for the wedding, which caused Simon to realize it is a title he must earn over time. Simon has now entered his senior years and we can definitely see that he has matured into an independent and amiable young man.

The youngest sister is Ruthie, the most mischievous of all the Camden kids. She is opinionated and believes she is wise beyond her years. Ruthie's often there to advise her older brothers and sisters, even Matt and Mary, about what they should do to resolve a problem, or give them the hidden psychology behind their actions. Although she has never had a serious boyfriend, she seems to know a lot about everyone's love lives, and about relationships in general. Ruthie once gave Lucy a lecture about her ex-fiancâÁ Jeremy, which made her realize he was not the man for her. She also helped Matt's wife, Sarah, come to the conclusion that her love for Matt will always outweigh any material possessions. When she was younger, she used to spend a lot of time with Simon. However, now the age gap has become an issue. Ruthie has, though, found a close friend in Robbie. While in the fourth grade, she was acknowledged by a prestigious private school, Eleanor Rosevelt, and was transferred there. A year later, she decided to return to her old school. Ruthie is good friends with a Muslim girl named Yasmine, and is entering her teen years with fortitude and a love for life.

Robbie Palmer wasn't always the ambitious and kind hearted man we have all come to know. A few years back, he met Mary in a community service program. They got together fairly quickly, but it was soon learnt that he was only interested in Mary for sex. He then disappeared from the Camden's lives, until one night when Eric found him on the streets, cold and alone, with no money or home to return to. Eric had no hesitance in inviting him to stay with the family, until he found himself back on his feet. The rest of the household were unconvinced at first, but they could soon see that something had changed in Robbie - he was no longer drifting through life with no purpose, he had changed, and now had his heart set on college, and achieving his full potential. Since then, Robbie has been studying and achieving good results with his education and has formed a strong relationship with his girlfriend, Joy - a singer and daughter of a wealthy lawyer. Her wealth at first was uncomfortable for Robbie, as he felt he wasn't worthy of having a life with Joy, but Eric convinced him that he has a lot to offer. Robbie is now paying rent to live with the Camden's, as he requested, and is sleeping in the garage apartment. Over the next few years, it's clear that Robbie will grow into an even more compassionate and fine man.

On February 14 1999 two new lives were brought into the Camden household. Samuel and David, twins, were born to Eric and Annie and came as quite a surprise. The first word Sam and David ever spoke was "mama". The twins, now 3 years old, are starting to speak a lot more and have just outgrown their old beds. They've taken a special liking to Robbie, who often puts them to bed and spends a lot of time with them. Within the next few years, Sam and David will begin their first year of kindergarten.

The following years will probably be the toughest for the Camden family, due to the departure of their two oldest children, Matt and Mary, Simon entering his final years of high school, and Ruthie heading toward her teen years. However, just like any other close family, the Camden's will band together and face every problem with one small step at a time. Looking back at how they've handled every crisis so far shows us that, whatever the circumstances, the love of a family can always pull you through.