Bedtime Battles

Lately bedtime has been dreadful at our house. It's a battle to get Benjamin to stay in bed and fall asleep. It will literally take us an hour, sometimes more, just to get him to stay in bed and finally fall asleep. It's exhausting. We've tried putting him to bed late, thinking that if he's so tired he won't put up a fight. Doesn't work. We've tried skipping naps hoping again that he would be so tired that he would want to go to bed. Doesn't work either. We've tried spankings. We've tried bribing. I've even tried countless times to fall asleep with him in his little toddler bed. But that doesn't work either because all he wants to do is talk if I'm in there with him. He's learned that if he keeps asking for something that it works in his favor. "Mamma, I need some water". Well, I certainly don't want to deprive my child from the basic need of thirst so I get him water. "Mamma, I have a dirty diaper". I don't know how he does it but he can make himself have a dirty diaper at that time but the silly kid won't sit on the toilet and do it for me when I want him to to save his life. I know this too shall pass, but after watching some of these "Nanny" shows and seeing 10 year olds act this way...I have a feeling that I'm seeing my future for the next 8 years. Is it bad that the word "restraints" keeps popping up in my head? Wouldn't actually do it, but see how it could totally work.