Fighting in front of your children can definitely threaten their emotional stability. It’s not dependent on the frequency of the fighting. One really bad fight where the child feels someone can get hurt can have more of an impact than 5 little fights. It all depends on how the parent’s handle the situation.
When Evan comes to the house, he throws out his back and must recover for a few days on the O'Brien couch, connecting him with the family in a way Abby never anticipated.