The day I’ve been dreading since I had Honeybun over 6 years ago finally arrived: we’ve ditched the nap. While she genuinely needed to continue napping through her kindergarten year (you can read more on why in “The Needed Nap”), she recently started having trouble sleeping at night. Hubby and I would lay down hours after putting the girls to bed and we would hear quite sobbing on the other side of the house. I decided to let her try skipping the nap for a few days to see if it helped her at night and sure enough, she’s back to easily falling asleep without too much drama or trauma.
While it’s a major milestone for her and a big deal to her “big girl” status, it’s not the best news for me.
Nap time has always been MY rest time. My time to sit quietly, watch TV, relax, get things done that I can’t do while managing three kids. That time is crucial to my existence and sanity and I held onto it as long as I could but frankly, I’m still not ready to give it up, even if she is.
I don’t think it’s something one can understand unless they are a stay at home parent who spends every waking moment being “on”. Of course, that means the moments when the kids are the kids are awake as well. The only time a stay at home parent can turn really “off” is when ALL of their little ones are snugly tucked in their beds. Those moments are golden and essential.
Logistically, it’s also hard having one child that doesn’t nap for many reasons.
Poor Doodle cannot get a solid morning nap in to save his life unless I make the girls go swimming for the ENTIRE time he naps. So having one kid up jeopardizes the entire napping system.
Then there’s the issue of the wanna-be-big-girl who, despite being two years younger, who thinks she should be able to do exactly what the elder does. Many things I do let them do the same but there are things that six year olds get to do that four year olds don’t, skipping nap definitely falls into that category!
And there’s me. MY time, MY needs, MY routine which is turned completely topsy-turvy by the addition of a child that is actually AWAKE! So, what’s the solution?
Stick her in a room by herself. For us this has become our room which is right off the living room where I spend the majority of nap time and which is also the farthest point from the nappers. She has a stack of books to read, puzzles to do and school work which she can complete. She is also welcome to lounge/rest on my bed if she wants. I turn the TV on to classical music to drown out the sound of my TV shows which I save for nap time specifically because they’re not child appropriate (because what is these days?) and generally she manages herself very well while her brother and sister sleep which gives me the time, space and quiet I need to recouperate and recover before taking on the rest of the day!
