Kids

Other peoples' kids will drive you nuts. Your own kids will too, but it's different.
My kids are turning out great, so I think I can give some advice. Here are some tips:
Parents train their kids to be brats. If they cry for something, and they get it, the parent has taught them to cry for what they want. To avoid this mess:
1. Decide, and never back down. Never reward bad behavior, even if the kid is asking for something good. (It could happen. Really.)
This leads to rule 2.
2. Think before you say yes or no. Always consider the question, "What is the worst that could happen?". Kids and clothes can be washed. Dirt is seldom a reason to say no. Safety is always a reason. Get the facts. If the facts are found to be wrong the answer can change. Make that a condition. (For example, "You said an adult would be with you. That is not true, so now you can't go."
3. Encourage rational discussion, persuasion, and negotiation. Those are valuable skills. Explain your decision. It is not good to say, "Because I say so." It is good to say, "These are the reasons for my decision. You don't have to agree, but unless you can show me that I am wrong in logic or facts, the decision stands."
My son at fours years old asked why we grabbed him and did not let him run into the street. I said, "Because I don't want you to get squashed by a car. " He got a shocked look on his face. He was more careful after that.
We used timeouts, but there were a few times it did not work when they were very young. My son was throwing things in his room. He got a quick swat on the bottom. No belt, no anger, no real pain, just enough to get his attention. At 3 or 4 years old, that is enough. It only took once or twice. If they get away with bad behavior much longer, it will take more. Eventually it takes jail time. It is better to start early.
After a while, when he got angry and would have thrown a tantrum, he went to his room. He would come out in a few minutes and he would say, "I feel better now." That is what growing up is about: learning to control your emotions.
Talk to your children. Even when they are very small. After years of trying to find the parenting behavior that made some kids smarter than others, they found something: Their mothers talked to them.
Another trick for young children: One finger touch. Tell them that things are easy to break, and so he can only touch them with one finger. They experience the world through touch. Telling a kid not to touch anything is tough. One finger touch is usually safe and satisfying. It does not apply to live wires or fire, but there are times when it can help.
Give a warning of the end of any fun activity can make leaving much easier. Five more minutes (with a countdown each minute), or five more times (with a countdown), can even help little ones learn to count. They don't like being out of control. Who does? Time to adjust helps them cope.
Young children up to about 4 years can't trace their thoughts. If you ask them why they did something, the answer may refer to information they did not have, or a situation that was not true at that time. It is not a lie. They just can't do that.
They also can't comprehend that other minds do not know what they know.
Children under about 3 can't do logic like we can: If I say If A then B, you infer, If not A then Not B. They can't do that. If you say, "If you do this you will be in trouble", they might cry, because they have decided to do it, and they don't want to be in trouble. If instead you say, "Do this or you will be in trouble", there is a simple A or B choice. They can choose.