4 year old concerns

[zuzuscrumptious]

My 4 year old only child has recently started what we think is a competitive or battle of wills phase.  He is never aggressive or mean-spirited, he just wants to be the know it all.

If my husband says, "Wow, that's not easy to do,' talking about something my son is doing, he'll reply, without pausing even for a moment, "Yes it is."  

If he's running with, a sparkler for instance (against my better judgment), and we say, "Slow down, you could fall and end up getting burned."  He immediately responds, "No I wouldn't."

The morning after a fire he was poking the ashes around in the firepit.  I told him to be careful as the metal pit could still be hot.  "No it couldn't."    Two minutes later, I had a crying, fingertips burned child.  I was secretly hoping he might have learned his lesson, but who knows.

He's not being rude or nasty when he acts like this, it's just like he knows everything and it's opposite world where we say one thing and he says the opposite.  I wasn't expecting a know it all until he was a teen.  Any ideas?

[margypops]

He sounds like a clever , self confident kid,I know what you mean I had one like that also,its a bit contrary isnt it, well my Husband is also somewhat like that and I have to live with it.It could be his personality and not a behavior problem. Be positive if he does something like running with the sparkler, dont ask , tell him not to run, as it could injure him and did so thats one not to let him do.If hes a clever boy when he says it was easy to do maybe it was for him and it is his terminology and let it go.