The secret to a happy family

They swear, they scream, they fight and hurl lumps of wood at the neighbours, but they’ve just been voted the number one family by Brits.

Ozzy Osbourne’s household was hailed as the best example of a family who support one another through thick and thin - by more than one-third of those questioned in a new poll.

Storming in at third place were the equally loud but somewhat less showbiz Slater family in EastEnders, who collected one fifth of the votes, with the Beckhams pipping them to the post in second place.

The survey, conducted by UK baker Warburtons, looked into what Britons believe makes a happy family. Forget hopes of winning the lottery - it’s good old-fashioned values like spending time together that leads to a winning formula.

A whopping 85 per cent of those questioned said they believe talking and being together were the most important factors in making a family work.

But child psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson said it isn’t that easy to find the time: "While these family values may be held in high regard, when push comes to shove, most parents don’t find ways of making them a reality with many admitting they live near separate lives," he said.

While most parents want the family to get together at dinner time, clashing food preferences, schedules or lack of time mean nearly 70 per cent of us don’t manage it. "Whether it’s wanted or not, the traditional family meal has drifted towards extinction," says Dr Woolfson. "And unless other sharing rituals fill this void, families of the future will suffer adverse psychological effects."

"The meals provide an opportunity that children need to talk about what’s going on in their lives. A place where they can share jokes, advice - and arguments - with parents and siblings. If you take that away, you end up with a family of four separate individuals, rather than a family unit. And if a child’s not communicating with mum and dad he becomes unhappy and smaller worries become larger worries, which in turn can lead to misbehaviour - so you can be sure he’ll get your attention sooner or later.

"Shared meals just once or twice a week make a big difference. I’m not saying it has to be all sweetness and light like the Waltons - there will be arguments, it’s part of communication - there will be good times and bad times, but the communication is important."