My five year old son calls us “the meanest parents ever” sometimes. I keep telling him that flattery won’t change us...
Stick to your guns! My five year old (soon to be 6) "gets it", thanks to the example provided by his older siblings. His sister is a junior at UNT, gets good grades, works, and shares an apartment with a sorority sister off-campus. There's still a few differences of opinion, of course, but we're proud of her personal growth and acceptance of personal accountability.
His brother, a freshman at a local CC, offers a stark contrast. We've been trying to find the right button to push for the past ten years, and still haven't found it. I refuse to lump him in with his unmotivated, slovenly peers, and his mother and I constantly have to stay on his rear. His current path will lead him to starting the next school year at New Mexico Military Institute. He's not ready for military service, which I know from 8 years experience.
My youngest son has been doing well in kindergarten, does his "homework", and stays out of mischief. He has shown by his actions that his desired path is similar to his sister's, for which we are extremely thankful. Of course, we affirm his good works, and exhort him to avoid the path his brother has chosen.