I'm not a parent, but as a former daycare counselor/supervisor, I think I can relate pretty well. I also had to deal with difficult kids, but I didn't have a parents' authority, so I think your situation is pretty similar. I agree completely about the family meeting. When you're spending a lot of time with these kids, often as a caretaker, and your idea of discipline is very different from the parents', a contract or a set of rules is crucial. The parent has to be on board with your requirements (like respect, obedience, and consequences), and you have to be on board with their rules and not tread on their toes. Have a meeting with Mom where you explain your concerns and you can come to an agreement about what you are allowed to do in terms of discipline and what is expected of the children towards you, then a meeting with the whole family where the kids learn that you are not a rug to walk on and that you do have some degree of authority over them. The amount of authority should be made clear. Can you ask them to do chores while you are taking care of them? Can you have rules that are different from Mom's? Can you punish them for disrespecting or disobeying? What are these rules and punishments going to be? The same as Mom's? Different? Getting it all down on paper will be helpful, even if it's not a "contract" - you will probably want to refer to it if you forget, and you might need to have something to point to and say "See, I'm not making it up" when the kids act out. The boyfriend might also need to be included, or at least kept informed by your friend. When a kid plays two adults against each other, it can be a real mess. I went through that a few times at daycare... "But Miss So-And-So said I could!" can be a nightmare with some of the really devious kids.