Triumphs and Failures Tuesday - To Nap or Not to Nap
It's Tuesday, folks, and that means it's Triumphs and Failures Tuesday here on the thick and thin. It's a weekly post where I share a parenting triumph or failure. Please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below.
To nap or not to nap? That is the quest--no, it's not a question. The answer is nap. The answer is always nap. If you choose to skip your kid's daily nap, then you will suffer the consequences. Take it from me: my sweet, kind-hearted little boy turns into a sharp-toothed beast that can be set off by any little thing.
Will you allow me a little room to complain though? My toddler's daily nap time is from 12pm to 2pm. Who thought that was a good idea? It cuts into every plan we have on the weekends. Starting our day early so that we can stay out all day? Nope. Lunch plans with your friends? Nope. Wanting to extend the time spent at a morning activity because it's really fun? Nope. That two-hour nap cuts into my day like a hot knife cuts into a stick of butter.
But I know that that two-hour nap for my toddler (and all the naps that my other child takes during the day) are beneficial for him and, really, for me, too. I know this because I've had several weekends where I've skipped or skimped this all-too-important part of X’s routine. Either because we have been out or because Laya and I haven't enforced the nap as strongly as we should when X refuses to take the nap, we have basically invited Xavier to have a tantrum.
It starts out slowly. He starts to rub his face and eyes. His blinking slows down. He takes longer to make decisions. Then we move into the "No phase." Things he would normally do when we tell him to, he resists. Stop playing with your food. No. Put those toys away, please. No! Stop watching your cartoons and take a nap. NO! And, after that, it's a total breakdown. Air-raid-level wailing. Throwing toys off the table or scattering them even more on the floor. Pushing me away as if I had the plague. Everything becomes a struggle, but not just with us, but with himself. After fighting with us to have it one way, he'll change his mind after we concede. He'll cry and whine even if we haven't done anything to antagonize him. It's as if nothing in this world will make him happy.
And I could have prevented this beast mode had I only gotten him to sleep.
My failure is appreciating how important naps are to my kids but still skipping or shortening them anyway. Can it be helped? Am I doomed to fail every time we're out and can't make it back to the house for a solid two hours?
Have any tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them.
