I want

I want a lot of things. Obviously, my priorities are salvation for the lost, world peace, the end of child prostitution, etc, etc. However on my petty list, at the very top, I want my son to stop using the phrase "I want" or "I don't want". If I hear that one more time!
Suddenly, somewhere, somehow, Gavin got the notion that he gets a say in what he wants for dinner, or when he gets his diaper changed or which direction we drive in the car...
"I don't waaant that!"
"Gavy don't want diaper change"
"Gavy want to go that way"
Listen up buddy, no one around this house cares if you want avacado on your plate and we most definately don't want to hear you whine about it!
He has also taken to throwing himself upon the ground to emphasize how much he wants or doesn't want something. The bigger the fall, the more desirous he is. It would be slightly amusing if it weren't my child. But it is and that is unfortunate.
So...we institute time out the minute he starts to whine and lower himself to the ground in what I have labeled a "Wantrum." After two days of immediately sending him to timeout for the whiney demands of wanting and not wanting, or removing privileges he claims to not want (like not wanting to read books before bed, in order to not go to bed) he has improved slightly, but we still have a long way to go.
It's hard. Obviously, we can't teach our child he has no say in his life. He can not want to play in the pool and want to play at the water table instead. Fine. That's reasonable. But how do we teach him there is a difference between that and not wanting to get in the car when it's time to go and wanting to watch a show instead. He doesn't get that choice. As a matter of fact...he really doesn't get a choice in much. He's nearly three and frankly, I still make his choices for him, cuz yes, I am smarter. I know better and I am going to make the wiser choice. When he gets too many choices, he really can't handle it. So he needs to get over it.
That's what I want. I guess we are both going to have a long waiting period to get what we want.