Related to what you are saying, I read somewhere, many years ago, that the best thing to do in cases where you feel like being grumpy or dismissing something th

Related to what you are saying, I read somewhere, many years ago, that the best thing to do in cases where you feel like being grumpy or dismissing something that was asked for was to, instead, ask 'why'. The reasoning is that sometimes what the client is asking is his best guess as meeting a need he has. By asking why, chances are you'll get to the actual need and, oftentimes, find a better solution where both the client and you are happy. Over the years as a grumpy developer, this piece of advice has served me wonderfully well.