Parenting - What happened to saying "No"?

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I was just responding to a post about a 10 year old girl who gave birth to a six pound baby and it got me thinking about parenting. I work in a busy mall and see children dressing more and more like adults. When I was 10, i'd never have been able to wear mini-skirts, pantyhose, or high heeled shoes. Yet, I see girls wearing all of those things of a daily basis. Whatever happened to saying "no" to your children? My parents said "no" to me all the time! And i'm probably a better person now because of it. A perfect example: I work in a shoe store and last winter there was a mom trying to buy her little son, of about 8 years old, a new pair of winter boots. The little boy didn't want the boots, he wanted a pair of Spiderman sandals instead. The mom ignored the boy and he started to throw and break things on one of our displays. She continued to go about her business as if there was no problem whatsoever. She left with the boots and him crying, screaming, and throwing things. A similar situation happened to me when I was young. I was a little older than the boy, maybe 10, and I pitched my first (and last) fit in a shoe store. My mom was trying to get me new winter boots and I wasn't having any of it. So we left, without new boots, and I didn't get to play in the snow that entire winter. It may sound harsh, but I learned my lesson and I learned it good. So what happened to saying "No"?