And the obverse, obviously, is that there are an awful lot of really sweet kids that age. Psychologically, this is the age they start to feel their independence, are more aware of the world outside their private nest, and they do a lot of play-acting, seeing what they can get away and how they want to interface with the world; they want to test the water to find out who they are. Some become aggressive and hostile and difficult for adults to deal with. Or they can be more like me at that age, a little tentative, a little defensive, a little timid in the face of aggression. There are many kids that age, and they shouldn't be stereotyped any more that older teens and adults should be. I grew out of that early phase, but never became overly aggressive. Kids change as they leave the beginnings of adolescence. But we probably all remember those tender years and how we faced the challenges we met then. James is right: a little introspection now and then does one a lot of good.
C