The water shortage of 2010

"G-man have a waaaa-ter?"

"Have a waaa-ter?"

"G-man have a water?! Waaaaa-ter?! Pweeeeeaaaaase. Waa-ter?"

Ok, 'fess up. Who taught my child to beg for water when he's supposed to be sleeping?

Seriously, I have no idea where this came from. Suddenly, the G-man is stalling for time and looking for attention by asking for water. This just started last week. The first time, we thought, huh, maybe he's really thirsty. But a little voice in the back of my head said uh-huh, this is the start of something.

And guess what? That voice was right. There's no sahara in his room, no immediate threat of dehydration, just a toddler that doesn't want to go to sleep.

Nap time, bedtime, the cry for water builds from the crib. A seemingly reasonable request at first, then escalating to an urgent demand, simmering down to a plea, and then, well, it just keeps coming. It's like he's channeling a camel.

And for the record, we aren't giving in. Except for Scott. He's the new water boy. As for me? I don't bring the H2O but I don't get the nap, either, just the screams until I finally declare the end of quiet (ha!) time and get him out. At which point he suddenly is quenched beyond belief and never mentions the water again.

But back to my original question, where did he learn this tactic? I've talked to his friends' mommies and they report the same phenomenon. But, c'mon, these kiddos aren't really pulling each other aside at the slide to compare notes and sleep-time strategies...are they? Scott suggested Parents Day Out is the culprit. Hmmm, nope. Don't think so. I can't picture his teachers putting up with 8 toddlers all clamoring for water from their tiny mattresses on the floor. Besides, I've been there at naptime. All is quiet, dark, snuggly. Not a sippy cup in sight.

That leaves...I don't know. If they are all doing it around this same age, without the benefit of a conference call, perhaps it's just an unlisted developmental milestone. What's next? Synchronized food strikes? Sudden dislike for the color blue? Only time will tell.

But I'll think about that later. Right now, I'm thirsty.