A question

My relationship with my husband is easy. It's always been easy. We belong to each other, and we always have, since before we met. I am his - completely, without a doubt. But he is mine too.

We might have misunderstandings once in a while, as humans are wont to do, and our drives for sex do not always match up, but by and large we are perfect together. I can tell him anything, absolutely anything. He can do anything with me and it will not affect his love for me. I wondered for a while if it would; if me submitting to him would somehow affect his opinion of me. It never has. He says all kinds of horrible things to me during sex, but still respects my opinion and my abilities to do most things even above his own. He has his areas of expertise, but I'm better than him at most things, and he's okay with and acknowledges that with wry amusement.

I have familial relationships, and I find them to be not so easy. Like walking on eggshells, some of them. Careful what you say in case it is taken the wrong way, careful how you hold your face or move your eyes in case it's taken a way you didn't mean it, because you know you'll never be able to convince the other person that the way they took it was not the way you meant it. After a while I begin to avert my eyes when answering questions because I'm afraid of eye contact expressing something I didn't mean - and that, too, is taken badly. I'm a grown woman! Why must it be like this?

What I want to know is this: What's normal? What's the majority relationship form factor? Easy, eggshells, or something in between?