I worked out an excellent schedule for this Saturday, which was the day we were going to try to get lots of chores done. After Pumpkin's morning nap, we would go to the toy store (we needed a gift for an upcoming birthday party and a paddling pool and some trucks for Pumpkin), and then we would come back and transfer her to her stroller and walk up to the local shopping center and take care of some errands there. Then we would walk home and have lunch, after which Pumpkin would take her nap while Hubby and I worked on our to do list. After Pumpkin's nap we would walk to our local park so that Pumpkin could play on the slides and the bouncy horsey (which she loves).
The experienced parents in the audience are now laughing, because they know what is coming next. Pumpkin had her own plans. She fell asleep on the way to the local shopping center, despite the fact that it was only 10:30 a.m. (her nap time at day care is 12:45 p.m.) and she was in the stroller that sits her upright so that she can look around and see the birds! and trucks! and all the other interesting things in our neighborhood. She didn't care. She was asleep within 5 minutes of getting into her stroller.
I just about had a melt down when I saw Pumpkin sleeping peacefully in her stroller. All of my plans were ruined! What would we do???? Hubby was a bit puzzled by my reaction, and (rightly) pointed out that we could just change our plans. Which is what we did. And it was no big deal.
I think that in general, I need to learn how to go with the flow more with Pumpkin (and probably with the rest of my life). It is what it is. There is no point getting worked up about it. But I don't think it is as simple as that. Hubby tends to be really good at just going with whatever happens, but that doesn't always work well for Pumpkin, either. She has usual nap times, etc., and it is best if we try to plan our days around them instead of just doing whatever takes our fancy and trying to deal with how Pumpkin reacts to that. There is clearly a happy medium that we need to find, in which we make plans based on Pumpkin's usual schedule, and then gracefully modify those as she modifies her schedule for the day. And in which Mommy doesn't turn an early nap into a catastrophe of epic proportions.
Oh, I hear ya. We are also working on that happy medium. And Mama's ability to accept naps that happen late or run short or run long and change plans gracefully. It's a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteI so know what you're talking about! Especially when it comes to naps and naptimes...and what if she doesn't nap! Why does going with the flow take so much effort anyway? Shouldn't it be easier than making a plan and sticking to it?
ReplyDeleteYes, I can imagine I will have major problems with that if I'm ever a mommy. I very much like living on a schedule and hate when it's disrupted.
ReplyDeleteThank God! My partner told me that clearly I'm a control freak when I have total meltdowns in the face of nap refusal....! I feel so much better, thank you ladies.
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