I actually read something today that made me think of this thread. In was in one of the morining comics, where a kid is about to due something stupid. His mother tells him not to, but he challenges her on it. Telling her "that because I said so" was not a legitiamate reason.
I NEVER would have gotten away with something like that when I was a kid. "Because I said so" was a legitmate reason. Also makes me realize the old nuclear parental phrase "Wait, til your father gets home" has probably lost some of its teeth.
Here's the comic:
http://comics.com/frazz/2010-06-17/ I always liked the Bill Cosby bit:
"When your father gets home, he's going to shoot you in the fact with a bazooka. And I am not going to stop him this time."