In discussions about families, even in academic settings, recourse is frequently made to personal experience to prove one's point. Because our experience of families is diverse, debate about families encompasses a diversity of viewpoints. It is understandable that some people whose experience of family has been very negative will be cynical about the International Year of the Family and its aims. It is understandable that some whose experience of family is of the supportive type may lack a critical appreciation of the situation of those with negative experiences of families. While the dichotomy of supportive and destructive families is a simplistic presentation of people's experiences, it helps us to understand the level of emotion that surrounds discussions of family and family policy.
High emotion pervades also because, quite simply, families are so important.
As Don Edgar has said, for the child, the family is the crucible of competence. It also has a lot to do with our level of self- esteem as adults. Research of support networks repeatedly shows that families are by far the most important source of practical, emotional and financial support in the society and, while reciprocity is part of the process, the giving of support within families is much more altruistic in nature than the provision of any other form of support. If this is doubted, one only has to look at the record of the State as parent to many children. Studies of homeless young people in Australia show that the State frequently fails to provide a roof over the head of its wards.