There's a scenario where I had to manage my anger with both my children and my dog at the same time. It's when the dog gets out. It used to be my daughter that would typically let him out.

We live on a busy street and if the dog gets out he'll just run down the middle of the street without a care in the world. Drivers are throwing on their brakes, traffic is backed up. People are yelling obscenities at me. It affects me:

1. I'm afraid the dog will get hit by a car.

2. I'm afraid I will get hit by a car.

3. I'm afraid we will cause a major traffic incident.

4. To be frank, I'm afraid of what people think of me. I'm afraid of being viewed as irresponsible.

When I finally get the dog back in the house, my nerves are shot. I'm stressed, out of breath, and to be honest, I'm a little angry. I shouldn't blame my daughter. Our dog is fast, strong and sneaky. I shouldn't blame the dog for wanting to get out. So many interesting noises and smells out there.

When I get back I have to give myself sometime before I bring up the situation with family. I'm usually jacked up with testosterone as a fight or flight reaction. After I've calmed down, I can communicate how dangerous it is for the dog to get out and ask for suggestions on how we can avoid it as a family. This has worked pretty well for me.