mamablue5, it is often the case that difficult children are worse with those that love them most. They know mom & dad are not going to mock them or give up on them - unconditional love. So, it is OK to be themselves around parents & siblings. But, with people that they do not have that comfort with - they control it as much as they can. It is hard work for them to control it, so they can not do it in front of everyone all the time.
It is also common for difficult children to hold it together for months with someone they are not sure about, but either they just can not do it any longer, or they begin to feel that they are cared about enough....then the behavior problems are shown.
