Willravel

I will admit to tolerating it for a small bit in the beginning because I was proud she was using deductive reasoning at such a young age. "If I cry, I seem to get what I want" *writes in notebook*. Still, if you allow it long enough it can become a mechanism for manipulation, as you so astutely stated. When it went from a method of communication to a method of control, I became intermittent in my responses, requiring her instead to communicate what she wants. If what she wants is reasonable and she communicated it in a respectful manner, I would supply it to her and lavish her with affection. If she whined and I gave it to her, I had a sad face. It didn't take her long to associate the positive attention with the respectful communication.

In other words, it's important to recognize that this is often an important step in developing communication and building an understanding of society. Punishing it right off that bat would be like punishing a child for crawling before walking. Children of a certain age are still learning what is or isn't appropriate behavior. The only important part is ensuring that the child does not dwell on the behavior too long. That's when negative and positive reinforcement are put into place to move the child into the next stage of communication (usually verbal).

This is part of the reason parenting requires an almost endless wellspring of patience. It will piss you off a lot the first time you experience it, especially if it's your own child.