Sue Gaisford Writer and mother of fiveClassical images of the family are under pressure. This is no surprise, and perhaps it was always so. But what this document reflects, with unusual clarity and frankness, is the widening variety of difficulties currently faced by those attempting to recreate that mysterious, almost unattainable ideal of Nazareth.In addition to the sadly perennial burdens caused by illness, infidelity and bereavement, families are increasingly having to endure the fragmentation of community and ensuing isolation within society. They are threatened by poverty, domestic violence and abuse, often stemming from unemployment; by divorce and separation; by single parenthood and by the widespread acceptance of abortion. It has become commonplace, too, to opt for cohabitation