In these modern times, claiming to be from a dysfunctional family is about as novel as shopping online for gifts. At least one movie studio always comes out with a film about a zany, eccentric family who alternately abuse each other and teach each other about the power of love; news sources print columns about how to survive holiay dinners with the relatives; and some people drink too much and pass out under the strings of lights that snake over many storefronts and rooftops. Estranged family members are noticable by their absence, and at least one person is in rare form at every gathering. Awww, joy to the world.

I guess that's why I actually noticed this bit on Salon's Table Talk about a non-dysfunctional family. Or at least a family that loves each other and likes each other. Because it got me to wondering: Is dysfunctional just the standard nowadays? Have we learned to survive past romantic visions of what family and holidays should be by becoming acutely aware of the failings of our own brood? If the majority of people come from painful homes filled with difficult people, then maybe it's more normal to find family hard than it is to find solace in our flesh and blood. I would be shocked if family now was so vastly different than family in times past, so what's changed is our perspective. Is it true that most people come from a broken place, and does knowing that help? Or do we just expect too much from the ones we love?