Bearly mentioned

I fell for it again.  Bear looked at me mournfully.  'I'm very thirsty.' he said and did puppy eyes.
'Okay, go and help yourself to one of the drinks on the table.' I said, coughing.

Two points.  I normally never get in the ready made drinks.  Bear gets squash and is getting tall enough that soon he will be able to make it himself but at the moment with all the germs bear got some Sainsbury equivalent of fruit shoots.  The most important point is that bear never asked.  He never does.  He hints and skirts around things and relies on me doing my usual translation.  It will drive any future wife insane.  Another favourite of his, 'I'm really hungry - not a big bit hungry, just a little bit, but really, really hungry.'  This is usually said as he looks pitifully at something full of sugar.

I am trying to crack down.  Normally when bear comes out with the 'I'm really thirsty.' line I look politely interested and say something like 'oh dear.'  Or after he has repeated it several times I will say 'So what do you want to ask for?'  I am being driven scatty trying to get bear to resort to a direct question.

Food is a terrible struggle.  What mother can ignore a child asking for food?  Except he doesn't.  Bear just hints.  Any attempt to get him to do the thinking when it comes to food is met with stern resistance.  'I'm too hungry to think of anything - you think of something.'  It drives DH and me absolutely scatty.  It is also starting to drive bear a bit scatty as I keep refusing to suggest treats and only suggest healthy stuff.  Bear does a good talk when it comes to demanding only healthy food, but really, deep down, he is six and wants deep fried sugar.

And bear is not kept short of food or drink.  I am a bit twitchy about dehydration.  DH can go far too long before realising that actually the last time liquid passed his lips was when he brushed his teeth in the morning and it is now tea time.  My mother was just as bad.  Bear always has a glass of squash/water/milk/milkshake available, and the only time he really needs to prompt is if I haven't realised he has actually drank it.  Or if he is trying to scrounge lemonade.  I keep a close eye on that.  As for food, bear always has food available, and I am always scrabbling around for healthy snack ideas.  All I want is a direct question.  Today bear won the skirmish.  I am determined however to get him to ask a direct question for a straightforward request.  It may be a long battle.