If the conflict starts to heat up, take a time-out, just like you tell your children, Cummings recommends. Take a deep breath, go for a walk, relax. And that should be okay with your kids. Recent studies suggest that children gauge the overall meaning and message of fights between adults. After an argument they watch to see how parents are feeling toward each other and how well they are getting along as well as how the problem was resolved.
Some couples fight a lot but generally are happy with their marriage.
Their fights end on a positive note. If the children believe that the parents clearly love each other, they are not bothered. That's the good news.