You jumped to the wrong conclusion on where the child learned the behavior, if you are referring to my comment. Look at how much press Brittney Spears and her younger sister get. Look how popular the "Bratz" dolls are. Watch the commercials and see the attitude children are giving the adults. Talk to elementary school teachers, ones who have taught more than 10 years, and ask them if younger and younger children are showing more 'attitude'.
I'm sorry you apparently thought I was blaming you, but a 5 year old with 'attitude' is not suffering hormone issues unless you're dealing with a malfunctioning hormone system. It's a learned behavior.
But my 6yo boy doesn't know who Brittney Spears is, and he doesn't play with Bratz dolls. He's home schooled, and none of his friends are bratty kids (or he wouldn't see them anymore!). The only TV he watches is PBS or Discovery Channel edu-tainment. The closest thing he sees to a bad attitude is what's exhibited by one or another of the trains on a "Thomas the Tank Engine" show...and then we discuss why the train's bad behavior is not okay!
Of course he's not suffering from hormones, but he does pull an attitude with me from time-to-time. If it's strictly a learned behavior, then I'm the one he's learning it from...and he's NOT learning it from me!
What I'm saying is that I think some part of normal development involves "attitude." That's not to say it's okay. (It's certainly not okay in my house!) But I think that acting out and being reined in by authority figures is a normal part of growing up. It's also a way that a kid who's still pretty young emotionally can say, "Hey, Mom, I need more of your attention."
