There are days when I would truly give anything for a nap. Tough days at work, long weekend days with cranky kids, or really, just about any day. Just imagine having a set time each day when the only thing expected of you is that you get into your comfiest clothes, climb into bed and sleep for a couple of hours.
In the last couple of months my husband and I have managed to train our two kids to nap at the same time (note that I did not say "together" as in "in the same room at the same time" - we tried that once and believe me, nobody slept...) But with O in his bed and J in the pack-and-play in our bedroom we've managed to squeeze in some quality TV time every Saturday and Sunday.
Unfortunately, that seems to be over.
Our oldest has quite simply, decided to give up his nap. Sure, he'll be 4 this June and it's probably time, but until a few weeks ago he took a good 2 hour snooze each day. But the last couple of weeks he has simply refused to go to sleep.
He's more than happy to go into his room, change into his PJs, climb into bed and have us read him a couple of stories. We go over the rules - no toys, no books, keep your head on the pillow - and he nods his head like he plans to follow them. We leave, close the door, and settle into the couch.
And then it's like rules? What rules? He talks and talks and talks and talks and talks. He makes up stories, he jumps up and down on his bed, he pulls his pillow out of the pillowcase, he wanders around his room and collects whatever toys he can find and piles them on his bed... it's unbelieveable. The kid can go on this way for almost 3 hours, with no break.
This weekend was probably the last straw for us. Dave and I went in every half hour and tried to settle him down, but it never worked. At 3 p.m. we finally gave up and brought him back out and he came bounding out of his room, ready to play up a storm.
So I give up. No more planning our days around Owen's siesta. Which, to be honest, will make our social lives a lot easier. But when are we going to catch up on Tivo?
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2 comments:
I've yet to have a kid who naps past the age of two . . . so, no sympathy from me! But I hear you. Naps are lovely.
Take heart: The next great nap-like break is learning to read. Once they start reading on their own they will disappear for hours and come back with interesting questions to boot...
Hey I just accidentally created a blog for myself by trying to post. Thanks for the motivation Heidi.
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