But that's not what this is about. Micah is very strong-willed and if he has decided that he's not going to nap then there really isn't much I can do to change his mind. Months and months of this song and dance has made that painfully obvious. Instead, I think I need to take a new approach.
Naptime is from 1:00 to 3:00. Maybe I just need to let Micah choose whether he uses that time to sleep or to quietly look at books in his room. I've caught him with books more times than I care to count, so clearly it's something he likes to do. It's quiet and restful and quite honestly, I've always felt kind of weird for scolding him for "reading."
He'll be required to stay in his room and be quiet for the duration of naptime, but should I maybe just allow him to look at books if he wants? Who knows.....maybe he'll fall asleep anyway.
Thoughts? Do I stick to the current routine of putting him back in bed every five minutes or just let him choose whether he sleeps or reads and only punish the bad behavior (like emptying out his dresser drawers)?
What would you do? How do you handle your strong-willed child?
