Bye Bye, Nap Time

The end is nigh.

The end of naps, I mean. I knew this day was coming, and yet, I am loath to see it go. We fought so hard to make it part of his routine. A regular nap schedule for Jax was very important in the attainment of a certain level of sanity. Not just mine, either.

In Jaxon's mind, he doesn't need naps. But the increasing argumentativeness that is evident as the day wears on tells a different story. This kid still needs naps. And after dealing with the intensity of a Jedi all morning, Mom and Dad usually need a nap too.

It's become such a rare thing that it has officially been re-dubbed "rest time". I'm cool with a rest time, even when he doesn't rest. Because he knows it's a quiet time. And as he gets older, Jax is able to spend more and more time playing on his own. It's just not truly a "rest", because there's this constant interrupting whisper of, "Mom...can I get up now? Is it time yet?" And, "Mom...can I get my Lego's out and play? I'll be quiet..."

He just has such a bad case of FOMO. You know, fear of missing out. I don't know what he thinks he's missing out on. When he should be napping, I'm usually hoping for a nap as well. Or just some quiet time to myself with a book.

Honestly, he is usually pretty quiet for a while. But the rest of the day is sooooo much nicer when he does actually rest.

A day without a nap has more:

• whining
• yelling--by him! No, really...
• arguments
• slammed doors--by me, not him. Just kiddin. He's the door-slammer in this house!

A day without a nap has less:

• cooperation in play time
• willingness to help out
• good times had by all

But a day with a nap? It's a beautiful thing. It's like all is right in the world for that 1.5 hours. And when that little monkey wakes up, he's so sweet and fun for the rest of the evening. Life's grand again in the Kane household. 

I'm not going to force him to continue naps. I'll keep instituting a quiet "rest time", at least for a while. Eventually, I know that will have to go as well. Today is one of the rare occasions in the last few months where he actually climbed into his bed and fell asleep. I'm loving this quiet solitude. And for now, I'm going to revel in it for as long as I can.