To nap or not to nap

To nap or not to nap that is the question. I do believe every child is slightly different on the answer to this question but it still is a hard one for us parents to figure out. My “Mom” definition of nap is: a scheduled time everyday that I can do chores, talk on the phone, take a shower, and go to the bathroom without a littleone underfoot. Needless to say naps are an essential part of my day. And I like kids to nap until….well until first grade! Presently my three year old is making me question what I had figured out with the older three.

My three year old – well shes been a different cookie. She has recently decided she can negotiate her way out of a nap. She is my first child to not just stay in her room because I told her to. She may be my fourth child but she has done a lot of firsts! Well in my mind I was thinking maybe phasing her off a nap would be good. It would free up some time that I could run errands in the afternoon, I figured I could make it work. But on these lovely days that she refuses to nap is she fine and sleeping like a rock that night? NOPE she gets over tired cries at the drop of a hat WHINES at EVERYTHING is super sensitive. I’m sure you all have seen a child in such a state. It’s horrendous!

So I try to make her nap I try to have her play “quiet time” in hopes that she will fall asleep. NONE OF THIS IS WORKING! So as you can imagine by the end of the day it is her AND I that are whining… I know that this is just another phase I know in my logical brain that this wont last forever, right? She won’t be so irrational when she goes to high school right? Um we’ll maybe she will have grown out of this surely by college?