Kiera went through a very argumentative phase at about three. She would pitch a fit if I disagreed with a factually incorrect statement, so when I didn't have the energy to deal with that, I would respond to bizarre claims with, "if you say so." She figured out really quickly that this was not the same as "yes, you're right" and started throwing fits over that, too. I was pretty impressed that she had figured out how to identify blatant condescension on my part. (My kids were both a huge pain at three -- it was like the day after their birthday, they changed from delightful and basically easy-going little children into DEMON SPAWN. And stayed that way for several months. So if Alex does this, take heart: it's not anything you did, and it will pass. Two-year-olds get a bad rap; they're mostly sweet and charming, if also impatient and easily frustrated. Three-year-olds will experiment with some truly antisocial behavior just to see what happens. This is why they invented preschool, because they will often behave flawless for OTHER people, it's just their parents they try to drive insane.)