Whiney kids

Ok, so why is it that when you tell your child to do something that they immediately respond with the highest pitch whine ever. Oh, mom whyyyyyyyyyyy? Can't they just know that they are supposed to do what we ask when we ask it. Then of course you get the stomping of the feet and the loud huff. I am trying a new response to those things. If they give me the oh mom bit I simple point to their room and tell them ten minutes. I know this is lame and to close to the old time out thing. But, when their time is up I tell them again what I need them to do and they seem to do it without arguing.
I know they need boundaries but goodness does it have to be this hard. Do we have to do this every time. (whine, whine, whine.) Life is such a vicious cycle.
I was looking through some old pictures again of the kids when they were just babies. I miss that age sometimes. I don't miss the 2am feedings and diaper changes though. I miss their little laughs as they see something for the first time. I miss that baby smell too. You know the one I mean. That sweet clean smell. I have two boys and they just stink now. They have that sweaty, stinky, little boy on the playground all day stink. They whine and complain why do I have to take a shower? I took one yesterday. Mark just tells them to smell under their arms. That is the male approach to getting them to bathe. It works so I don't complain. Mark does have some parenting skills, it has just taken them almost ten years to kick in.