I’m currently caught in an epic power struggle, also commonly referred to as nap time, with my two year old.  Maya is getting to the age where she wants to assert her independence and feels like she no longer needs to bother napping anymore.  I, on the other hand, can see that she definitely still physically needs to nap and I absolutely still mentally need it.  And so ensues our power struggle every afternoon.

I’d love to be able to blame this phase on the big switch to the toddler bed and her getting used to the change, but sadly it was happening before we made the switch.  For the last month or so Maya has been fighting her naps like nobody’s business.  She’ll go down okay, I don’t really have to fight her too much to get her ready for nap and into her bedroom.  But, once she is in there the gloves come off and she is ready for a fight.  Some days it takes her up to 2 hours to actually fall asleep, which means she isn’t asleep until 3 or 3:30 and I then have to wake her up at 5 because she’s still sleeping.  The fact that she will easily sleep for 2 hours once she does fall asleep tells me she still needs to nap everyday, but I’m at a loss as to how to get her to fall sleep at a decent time.  Nap time is a very important to her, and to me, I’m so not ready for it to go away yet.

Being a stay at home parent is awesome.  I love it and wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I feel so lucky to be able to part of Maya’s day to day routine.  Being with her and taking care of her everyday is exactly what I want to be doing.  That being said, being a stay at home parent is incredibly challenging and exhausting.  I don’t get the benefit of a lunch break or, on a bad day, being able to leave my work behind me and head home.  I don’t get to take vacations or get a weekend to regroup.  My work is with me all the time, 24/7.  Therefore, I put great importance on nap time.  Those couple of hours every afternoon are a godsend.  It is my time to relax, to work, to write, to regroup, to do whatever I want alone and in the peace and quiet.  On days when Maya doesn’t, for whatever reason, get a nap I can see a huge difference in myself.  I am more edgy, less patient, less together.  I need that time and I’m just not ready to part with it.

Since those lovely hours in the afternoon that my daughter slumbers are so important to me I fight harder for them.  Maybe if those hours weren’t so important to me I would give in, I’d let her stay up (even though I know she still needs the sleep).  But right now I know she physically needs that sleep and I need that quiet time for my emotional well being, so I will stay in this battle for as long as I can.  I will win this one.