I disagree with the idea of distracting children from bad behavior during these various cycles where behavior often becomes intense. To me, this is a critical learning stage and must be seen as an opportunity.
Sure, I agree two year olds can't understand complex behaviors, but they are capable of learning basic behaviors. This is often the time when a child first experiments with heights, falls and realizes there is a consequence. Don't let them experience this from a small height and they may just walk off a cliff one day.
I know the parents of a girl who at 18 years of age on her first day outside the safe community she grew up in walked right in front of a car without looking. Maybe I am wrong, but I think these early cycles of intense behavior are there for a reason. They begin early when the consequences are of less risk, so we learn safe behavior before we are big enough for the consequences to be severe.
The girl I mentioned was intelligent academically. This is why I don't believe academic teaching is a replacement for behavioral teaching. Unfortunately, no one will ever know how far she would have gone academically.
