My son

I agree completely with the above. Although I do not have children of my own yet, I have been the babysitter for many of my friends' children, and I've often employed this technique with them. Sometimes my friends are stunned at the fact their children are so well-behaved around me. It's because they realize very early on that I don't give in to whining or crying, and it doesn't become an issue. I've often witnessed their behaviour around parents, and more often than not, they're not actually whining for a cookie or whatnot, it's the attention/sympathy they want. I must sound like an evil witch-but I'm not, I swear! If the complaint/crying in valid, I attend to it. If not, I do exactly what is mentioned above, and the child usually comes back to me looking for positive attention.

You have it exactly right. My kids and daycare kids LOVE me. They know I care enough to set limits for them. They also know if they have a real problem (even if someone just hurt their feelings)they can come to me and I will drop everything to find a solution. It is just the crying for no reason I will not tolerate. You do not sound like an evil witch, you sound just like me. I am always surprised after days where I feel like I have been an evil witch the children come to me and tell me how fun it is at my house. lol