*nods* I...Okay, I should be careful, here, because this is one of those really complicated situations that people can easily misconstrue. My spouse is not, by nature, a happy guy. He struggles a lot with depression and anxiety, and it often manifests as irritability and even outright anger. And he is seldom angry at me, or at our daughter, but I'm usually the one in the room when he finally lets it out, and it's not fun. He has been working on coping techniques, and above all removing himself from the room/home when things are bad, but there are certainly times when the teen fanperson and I know not to engage him on anything more than, "can you hand me a glass, please?" I've described it as "walking on eggshells," but I think I need something that better conveys, "modulating our behavior to help him cope with his emotional state."