Does this natural tendency to “explore” explain why children will try doing again the thing you just asked them not to do? And then follow that up with different variations of said thing to see how you react?
You don't have to tell a kid to their face they're an asshole. Do you not have a filter at all?
Kids in general can't be expected to act like adults because their brains are still developing. They also lack experience to inform their actions. Some seem like assholes because of these factors.
It's just important however to realize that some kids are assholes. No matter how you humor them or mollify them, they'll still be assholes. After trying to humor them and understand them if they turn out to be assholes you can just deal with them (or don't) like you would any other adult asshole.
