...or as my sensei says "Aikidon't".
The vast majority of aikido dojos practice synchronized dancing. Techniques look amazing because the students take falls. What I mean by this is that if a person performs a technique on you in the dojo, you are expected to fall. This supposedly helps people "learn". Traditional aikido, as it is currently taught, has no practical self-defense application.
However, if you have already studied a real self defense system, with lots of active sparring in whatever form, and you feel you have a reasonable chance of defending yourself and your family, aikido can bring you to another level as a martial artist. I would recommend that you study Daito Ryu instead, though. It is the brutal system that aikido came from. Very hard to find it though. Daito Ryu is probably one of the most often "faked" martial arts out there. I think there are only 2 actual instructors in the states.