Keeping a Level Head While You're on Shaky Ground

I grew up with a very angry father.  He would get mad at us over things both small and big.  He would get mad at my mom over small and big things, and she wouldn't always just take it.  When things escalated between my parents, our mom would send us to our rooms, tell us to close the doors, and she would close the hallway doors behind us.  It muffled our parents voices if they stayed quiet enough, but if they began to yell, we could still hear them.  Being the oldest, I would gather my brothers together, turn up the radio, and propose that we have a "dance 'till you drop" party.  Once they hit a certain age, however, this little trick didn't work so well.
I don't know what my parents would fight about; I just knew it was happening.  Disagreements, in and of themselves, aren't bad.  They can be beneficial, and provide both parties with opportunities to learn, to grow, and to view things in a new light. 
The main, most important part in this, is how you handle yourself in the situation.  If you can handle arguments kindly and calmly, it would even be good for children to see their parents deal with a disagreement.  Children learn more by example than by words.  Caregivers have the opportunity at every turn to show their children what to become, whether good or bad, intentionally or accidentally.