Farming has been undergoing profound changes as not only agriculture, but also work patterns and family dynamics have evolved. The continuity of farm businesses depend not only on technical and economic performance, but also on the life conditions the system offers farmers and their families. Here we define the liveability as the upholding of an articulation between farm, family and work. According to farmers, it is becoming more and more difficult to reconcile these three terms. To gain a better understanding of how farming is changing, with a view on liveability, we undertook an analysis of how changes in farming activities, non-farming activities and family events interact in farming households. We surveyed 14 livestock farms in one area of the French Northern Alps to map the history of the farm, the family and the activities of each member of the household. We found seven forms of work-family-farm relations, which can be linked together in the career of farming households. Using this situated approach, we analyse the concrete reasons for the emergence of historically attested forms of work-family-farm relations in the cases investigated and their practical effects. Finally we discuss the importance to better take into account family and work in their relations with the farm to understand farming system dynamics.