Yes, kids are able to move out of our comfort zones, and use this ability of theirs frequently :) These things mentionned by you are normals (atleast in my family) when kids are under 3-4 years... I tried to be a "laissez-faire" parent type in this period, in order to kids to make experiments (good and bad also)...for exemple I let her - him burn her finger touching the stove, to pricks the finger with the fork, etc, etc... The reason was that is a smaller bad if he / she make these things under our supervision, and in the future they will remember about bad feelings of that, and don't repeat.

I think to be a good parent is heroic in itself.

Our best realisation (together with my wife) is that we reached kids are understanding (at least they do) that as bad as it is at that moment, we only wish them well )even if we will punish them).

An other thing which was hard... to accept defeat...when we playing board games, someone will win, someones will lose :) And both kids was angry when they lost, sometimes they organized against us when both of they lose... But right now, the situation has normalized and kids can congratulate the winner ;)