Get Over It Mommy, I Ain't Nappin'
She hasn't been into napping during the week when the other kids are here. No, she hasn't 'outgrown' her nap as we say; she rubs her eyes all afternoon and the bags under her eyes hang all the way down to her chin. However, we read our stories, the nap tunes come on and everyone gets tucked in. I flop down onto the ginourmous stuffed dog and unicorn next to the soon-to-be snoring children and then...
"Mommy, I'm not going to nap today."
I think, "for real!? This is my time! There's no awake kids in my time!" I say, "if you're not going to nap, you'll be tired and I'll be grumpy later." Up out of bed she goes, as she tip-toes (at least she tip-toes) out the door and straight to her toy shelf. I then choose to be very grumpy for the rest of the day (as though that's going to make her somehow decide to nap the next time?).
This part of the day is obviously her solace as much as mine because while the other children are snoozing away, she is busy putting together 24-piece jigsaw puzzles, a train set, the building blocks, drawing crop circles on the chalk board or... "really Little One? The glue? Why you gotta pick on Mommy like that?"
SO ONE DAY she opens the door to the room just as the last child is right on the verge of falling asleep -- oh she knows not to do that! I get up, take her by the hand and lead her back out into the living room. I'm about to go on a Mommy vent that would have sounded something like this; "blah blah blah, when you open the door so-and-so wakes up blah, blah, blah she needs to sleep blah, blah, blah, I need my break blah, blah, blah now I'm grumpy" but then stop in my tracks when I see this:
Pretty marvellous wouldn't you say? That night we worked out a deal. She can take her puzzles, blocks or whatever else she needs into my bedroom at anytime during the day and spend as much time in there as she needs; during naptime she sleeps. She thought that was cool. Interestingly enough she hasn't actually gone to work on her own in my room at at all, but she has been napping more!
"Mommy, I'm not going to nap today."
I think, "for real!? This is my time! There's no awake kids in my time!" I say, "if you're not going to nap, you'll be tired and I'll be grumpy later." Up out of bed she goes, as she tip-toes (at least she tip-toes) out the door and straight to her toy shelf. I then choose to be very grumpy for the rest of the day (as though that's going to make her somehow decide to nap the next time?).
This part of the day is obviously her solace as much as mine because while the other children are snoozing away, she is busy putting together 24-piece jigsaw puzzles, a train set, the building blocks, drawing crop circles on the chalk board or... "really Little One? The glue? Why you gotta pick on Mommy like that?"
SO ONE DAY she opens the door to the room just as the last child is right on the verge of falling asleep -- oh she knows not to do that! I get up, take her by the hand and lead her back out into the living room. I'm about to go on a Mommy vent that would have sounded something like this; "blah blah blah, when you open the door so-and-so wakes up blah, blah, blah she needs to sleep blah, blah, blah, I need my break blah, blah, blah now I'm grumpy" but then stop in my tracks when I see this:
Pretty marvellous wouldn't you say? That night we worked out a deal. She can take her puzzles, blocks or whatever else she needs into my bedroom at anytime during the day and spend as much time in there as she needs; during naptime she sleeps. She thought that was cool. Interestingly enough she hasn't actually gone to work on her own in my room at at all, but she has been napping more!
Comments