It was my experience growing up with authoritarian parents who also happened to be wildly inconsistent that there was very little rhyme or reason behind rules, they were based simply on the whim at the moment. A reasonable rule implies that there is thought and *reasoning* behind the rule. Wouldn't the child would have an easier time complying if they understood that reason? Saying simply, "You need to be quiet because you are disturbing the other shoppers" takes the same amount of time as "You need to be quiet". One makes them mindful of how their behavior is affecting other people, the other makes them mindful of being disobedient. Personally, I'm trying to raise children who can control their behavior outside of explicit rules and I believe the way to accomplish that is to explain *why* rules exist.