The Battle of the Nap

Anna has been resisting naptime for the past several days. I don't know whether it's because she has gotten so good at getting in and out of her bed by herself or because she has just discovered all the toys and books that have surrounded her bed for months or because she is reaching a point where she is not exhausted when 1 pm rolls around. Whatever the reason, I'm not a fan.

Now don't get me wrong. I realize a time will come when she will not need a nap anymore and that may come sooner than I think. However, I also STRONGLY believe that people in this country are severely sleep deprived, especially our children. I think it has become easier for parents to just do what the child wants rather than do what the child needs, and make sleep a priority. I can tell that when one o'clock comes around, she is tired. Many days, we can barely make it through lunchtime without some sort of tired-induced meltdown. And the days when she might not get her nap, for whatever reason, turn into you-know-where come about 5 or 6 pm. She still NEEDS a nap!

So today, after walking in multiple times after hearing her singing or talking and finding her not in her bed, I had had enough. I told her that she had to stay in her bed during nap time and that if I found her out of her bed again, she would get a spanking. She looked at me and said, "OK, Mommy, it's nap time now." Umm, it was nap time an hour and a half ago!

Well, after another ten minutes or so it finally got quiet. When I peeked in at her, this is what I found...

Notice that her pants are no longer on and she is nowhere near where I had left her on her pillow. But at least she is on her bed and...finally...asleep. The battle of the nap was won today. We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.