Advances in Contemporary Child and Family Health Care

The 'family' has been perhaps the most scrutinised of all social institutions. It has been endlessly theorised, philosophised, conceptualised, idealised, demonized, politicised, deconstructed, and reconstructed. As an institution the family has been idealised to the point where adding 'family' as a qualifier to almost anything confers instantaneous virtue. Mere 'values' seem bland compared to 'family values', a friendly hospital pales into insignificance beside a 'family friendly' one and of course at election time the stampede of politicians eager to 'support the family' will be positively Gaderine. Recall George Bush senior's claim that America's families needed to become more like the Walton's and less like the Simpson's and here in Australia John Howard's sudden largesse in ensuring that every new baby arrives with a free gift of $3,000 for its mother. As a social institution, the family has intrigued generations of writers, poets, politicians and assorted 'ologists', but the inner workings and everyday dramas of families fascinate we 'ordinary' people too. Thus 'family life' is a staple of high drama, opera, cinema, 'soapies', books, and the ever-more prurient and voyeuristic 'Reality TV'.