When plants die, often their leaves turn black or brown, not red. When plants are alive and doing well, leaves are green. It is amazing how everything could be turned into a racial remark. It is very hard nowadays to just have a normal conversation without someone’s feeling being hurt.
@oldfort, yeah, that is one of the most far-fetched reasons for offense I’ve ever seen. One wonders if the poster has ever seen a winter landscape or a dead plant…I thought that perhaps the poster left out a wink emoticon. 
Schefflera requires low light and is easy to grow…has a nice upright growth habit and shiny, attractive leaves.
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/schefflera/schefflera-plant-care.htm
Pothos is also easy to grow and doesn’t like direct light. It comes in variegated and other varieties - grows downward similar to ivy.
I have had many plants in my house and office for more years than most of your kids have been alive! Haha. I never water my plants more often than every two weeks and rarely repot. I try to fertilize every watering. But that has become more difficult given a product change by Miracle-Gro. The truth of the matter is, plants need less attention rather than more.
Appropriate light is certainly important. But if plants can get light, pay less attention, not more. Also, pot in a good soil. I’ve tried cheap soil. It is not worth it.
Also please be aware of light changes. I have had plants that were doing very well and started to die. Turns our, it got shadier outside as trees, etc. grew.
Cast iron plant. Minor character in lots of British mysteries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidistra_elatior
I don’t treat my houseplants well at all, but unfortunately I don’t actually know what I’ve got as they were all given to me by friends and I’ve never bothered to look them up.
I agree with the recommendation of pothos. It is impossible to kill, IMO, and is very easy to propagate by cuttings, just like ivy.
Another good, sturdy plant is peace lily. Mine sits in a large pot away from other plants and does not get watered occasionally for a week or more… Then I notice that it got all wilted and droopy, give it a nice drink of water, and it comes back looking as good as new.
http://www.hgtvgardens.com/houseplants/give-peace-a-chance-peace-lily-care-tips
I have quite a few plants- and for most tolerant I vote “snake plant–mother in laws tongue”
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/snake-plant/snake-plant-care.htm
All good ideas. I also have better luck starting with a larger plant. When I buy a small one, thinking it will grow, I oftern lose them. If I start out with a larger plant, they usually thrive.
I have a Peace Lily that I purchased 18 years ago at Lowe’s with the direction to the garden center person to sell me a plant that I couldn’t kill. It is unkillable. We moved into our house 17 years ago and when we moved in I put the plant on top of the fridge to get it out of the way for the moment. It still happily lives there in the same pot. Now and them it gets completely dried out (I’m not great with plant routines) and I just rehydrate it, wash the leaves in the sink and let it drain and take light by the sink for a half day. My theory is that as a rain forest type plant it is used to feast of famine with water. It’s tough to over or under water it. It’s also a good looking plant.