Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Pleading nap time insanity

Every day at nap time, I read K and M their choice of story. Then I settle K down in her bed to sleep and usher M to the playroom to play. Every day, M tells me that he wants to sleep. I tried, when the kids began sharing a room, to let him sleep in his own bed. When no one slept at nap time, I realized this was a bad idea. So I told him that he could sleep in my bed if he was tired. So now, every nap time, I have to go into my room, close up all the doors and windows, unmake my bed, and generally prepare the room for rest. And every day, M spends the entire nap time in the playroom, playing.

I know it's a little thing to get frustrated about, but that's exactly what I am. I like having the windows open in our room and the bed nicely made. I don't want to leave them closed and undone all morning in preparation for this nap time charade, but at the same time, it's maddening to open/fix them twice on one day. I know: little thing. But when I feel like I have to make use of every second of my time, these are precious seconds utterly wasted.

If M really slept, I'd be fine with it. If M even tried to sleep, I'd be fine with it. He doesn't. But when I tell him such ("I don't think you're tired enough to sleep" or "Are you really going to sleep today, because you usually don't") I get loud and emphatic protests. Fearful that they will wake the actually sleeping child, I go along. On principle, too, I hate telling him that he can't or won't sleep just because I don't think he will. It is his body, after all.

I know there's probably no solution, except maybe to just not get so up in bunches about it. And most days I just do it automatically. But every day, the same thing, just starts getting to me after a while. This sneaking feeling creeps up that they are trying to break me one nap at a time, and even I doubt my resilience.

1 comment:

melissa said...

I think you're entitled to a solution that doesn't make you crazy but still meets M's needs. Since his need seems to be for a *place* to sleep rather than for the actual experience of sleep, can you set new parameters about naptime sleep places?

Something like, "at naptime, we don't unmake the bed, we sleep on top of the covers with a special blanket," and "at naptime we don't close windows, we only close curtains"?

Because while I don't doubt your steadfastness or your resilience, it's probably okay to choose not explore the outer limits thereof. :)