Push the button

Little children have an at times unhealthy obsession with pushing buttons. I remember once when we had to unplug most of the phones in our house because of this one Energizer Bunny. He was a one-boy stampede charging through all 3 stories of the house, pushing any and all buttons he could reach, particularly those of phones. 
Now why is this? I’m hardly a psychologist but it seems to boil down to two things. 

1. It’s fun 
2. Something happens.

More on point 1 later. As for 2, something happens can be down to two things as well: either they are curious about what this something is, or then they already know and enjoy the sense of power that comes from making this something happen. This can be compared to flicking a light switch and shouting, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!” 

As a child, you are an insignificant squirt. Of course, your parents tell you that you are the most important thing that ever happened to them. This does not entail that you have enough importance to make them dance like puppets on strings. No, shush, mommy’s on the phone. Yes dear, but this is adult talk. You’ll understand when you’re older. Don’t do that. Do this. Go there. Get away from that. 
They have so little control over their lives that they resort to extremes - such as screaming their heads off, doing things that are wrong, or pushing buttons and accidentally calling mental wards and then (remember point 1?) enjoying watching the mess wrought upon the world. Children are Agents of Chaos. They have to be to stay minimally sane. No grown up in their normal state of mind would be able to tolerate being treated in the same way. 

Fisher Price and other multicolored plastic toy companies have gotten it right - children (especially boys) love pushing buttons and seeing things happen, be it real physical buttons or the buttons of adults - anyone who has ever deliberately tried to outsmart an uncontrollable child knows that they do it right back but in a far more frightening way: subconsciously but oh so efficiently.