Movement and Mates in Sub-Assemblies

Was wondering if this is normal...

In a sub-assembly that is within a larger assembly there is a partthat has one mate, it's free to move in 2 planes within the subassembly.

But that part will not move with respect to it's sub-assembly fromwithin the larger assembly. I want to mate it to another part inthe larger assembly but it is frozen in the larger assembly.

Is this normal activity?

(as a work-around I took the part out of the sub-assembly and putit in the main assembly and mated it as required to get the desiredmovement, but this is a work-around because of how the parts areassembled real-world)
SolidworksAssemblies