A Mind of His Own

I miss my sweet, submissive little boy. He is in one of those stages. Here is what a lot of our conversations looked like in the past:

Me: Jared, it is dinner time!
Jared: Okay, Mommy! Thanks for making a yummy dinner!

Now they go a bit more like this:

Me: Jared, it is dinner time!
Jared (distractedly): No.
Me (in a more serious tone): Jared it is dinner time.
Jared: Why?
Me: Because we are hungry.
Jared: Why?
Me: Because it has been a while since lunch and it is good to eat dinner.
Jared(pleasantly): I don't think so!
Me: Jared, we are going to eat dinner, so come to the table please.
Jared: Mom, you're just teasing me!

Now he is happy and generally pleasant during the said frustrating exchange. He is not being rude, so I don't feel like I can scold him for it. He needs/wants me to explain everything before he will lift a finger. I do want to explain to him the whys of our world, but it is completely and utterly exhausting.
I suppose I just need to get used to a child that has his own mind! Because I'm not sure we're ever going back.