my angry dad

I have just about decided that I can no longer have a meaningful relationship with my father. He has always be highly opinionated and angry and visits with him are tense because we knew he will probably blow, we just didn't know when. I have been divorced and remarried, and now when I am with the extended family (including him) I have a heightened sense of his disfunction. When your children float between two separate families, it makes it more difficult to know that they dislike being around someone like him because it could push them further to the "other camp." I hate to think that way but anyone who has been through this knows what I mean. I am working hard to keep on track with my kids, and exposing them to a blustery old man helps no one's cause. It may sound calloused, but we'd be better off not being in his presense. I hope I'm not the only one who is in this boat.