British academic Frank Furedi points out that the only models of marriage and family shown on television in popular culture are dysfunctional. Televised drama has become estranged from depicting resilient intimate commitments.
The mark of a functional human is not whether they live in blissful uneventfulness but whether they’re able to navigate sticky situations with grace.
More to the point whether they avoid getting themselves into them in the first place. How we live is a decision but if it is based on wise rules it becomes a very effective tool in guiding us well away from trouble and problems in the first place and in the direction of good life chances.
Knowing how to function successfully as a family is something we learn from those who know how to do it well. Only having dysfunctional families modelled in the media does not teach us how to be effective as functional families.