Interesting. Your family sort of sounds like mine. My dad--alcoholic--would sulk, get moody, and simply shut down for days, and/or go drink. My mom, on the other hand, had no problems losing her temper, and quite easily I might add. Granted, she was a single mom from early in my childhood, and my brother was a handful. But she flew off the handle easily, screamed a lot, and it was usually directed at somebody. Ultimately, she had no patience, never has. As she's gotten older her temper's cooled a lot. Maybe subconsciously in the back of my mind I felt like, since she was going on regularly, SOMEbody had to be calm, even-keeled (hello, codependence!). But too I've wondered, how come things I got angry about weren't worth getting upset over, yet she could rage and lash out whenever she wanted? Because I was the kid and she was the adult? Ohhhh so much more therapy.....