Why is it?

Why is it that whenever I ask my son to do something I have to ask 20 times or make some sort of threat to get him to actually do it? It never happens right when I ask, but rather whenever he feels like getting around to it (does that make me sound like a fantastic and in-control parent or what?). However, when he asks me to do something, he wants it done right away. If it's not done within 3 seconds of him asking (or telling in some cases), he will stand next to me and ask 127 more times (yes, I've counted). Does anyone else live with this incredibly annoying double standard? Are you as fed up with it as I am? Do you find yourself dreading the sound of your own voice some days only because you've had to say the same thing over and over again? Believe me, I love the child, but I really dislike sounding like a broken record (or even, gasp, like my own mother sometimes). And what I dislike even more is his expectation that I will do things as soon as he asks and not a second later. That sounds worse than it really is because we really don't give in to his every whim or be in control, but sometimes you'd be hard-pressed to tell that. In any case, his smiling face and sweet voice make it hard to be annoyed for too long.