Under One Roof: The Puckeridge Family

Streaming video - 2003

Enter the fun and mayhem of the Puckeridge family - mum, dad and five very active children aged two to ten.. Life in this household is a constant juggling act, as Sally and Dave negotiate with their kids over food, haircuts, baths and bed, and with each other over school and religion. These are familiar scenes of bills, endless washing, weekend sports, the frenetic noise of games, the strange quiet of sleep.. Dave leaves for work at six in the morning, before the rest of the family is awake. Sally is a full-time, hands-on mum, who assists in her children’s classrooms. “I thought you had kids and whilst they played, you read books and got your photos in order,” she laughs.. Sally is the patient one, the disciplinarian. Dave, in many wa...ys, is a big kid himself - joining the afternoon backyard footy games with glee. He admits he’s made some selfish decisions in the past. Despite the family’s reluctance to move from Newcastle, Dave accepted a job in Sydney from which he was later made redundant. He’s now got a new, more junior position which will help meet the mortgage payments on their Concord home.. It’s hard sometimes for Dave and Sally to balance their different attitudes and approaches, and even harder to find time for themselves among the constant whirlwind of children and activities. But as we listen to these two often-exhausted parents talk about their young family, their postponed renovations, their frustrations and dreams, we see how communication, respect and humour are really the essence of successful family life.. A Film Australia National Interest Program. Produced in association with SBS Independent. 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.. more