I think kids do react to a the mood of a parent, the tension in the room, the ambiguity of a parent (alcohol induced, insecurities, inconsistencies). I think they respond to the vibe that is sent back and forth between parents. Different parenting styles matter, one or two adults in the room makes a difference.
FWIW at 2yo my kids pretty much all responded to my coming home by whining and crying and carrying on to be held etc. Their dad used to say the same thing about them being angels for him and turning terrible when I arrived on the scene and he'd gloat and I'd waffle between wanting to sob and rip his face off - so I'm sure that vibe didn't improve their behavior any.
ETA: I'm not saying that to imply it goes on in your house. That was my house. My husband was mostly a benign, buzzed, unengaged tired (ie passed out very early) parent that was sometimes fun and usually a bit neglectful but not in a way a young child would notice. I was a frazzled, unhappy, crabby, rigid, worried, beyond stressed, rule maker and so any bad things they got from our dynamic mostly came from me.
I offered security, health, love, dependability etc but again - small children do not see that. They just care how the evening went. I'm so upset about it now but I can't go back and undo it. One of my kids will never let me forget it either because he is basically a small, angry, rigid, unhappy boy version of the mother I was for such a long time.