clarifications
frozenandcold
*But if I had asked
her if she was sleepy and felt she needed a rest and let it go at
that she would have said no.*
I think what people here are trying to tell you is that when there is
no control over those kinds of things children learn to listen to
their bodies and know when they need rest, etc. In our home, if I
asked one of my kids if they were tired, and they were, in fact tired,
they would say yes! If they needed a nap they would probably come to
me and tell me that they wanted to lay down, or what usually happens
is that they would just go find a quiet place and lay down and sleep.
If you were to let go of those controls, initially it would seem like
chaos until they learned how to listen to their bodies, on their own,
without someone telling them how they feel. There are times that my
kids push the limits but I feel that it is there body and nine times
out of ten when they do that they realize it doesn't make them feel
very good and the next time they put more thought into their choices.
The first clue for your situation should have been that she didn't
fall asleep which is a good indication that she wasn't tired, so she
was being honest with you in the first place.
My children are that way with everything......they have figured out
how they need to eat to feel good and healthy, how much sleep they
need, how much exercise. In fact, my oldest son was just telling me
that he has been sitting too much and his legs hurt, the kids have
decided that we need to go for a swim tonight.
I was just remembering a time (a long time ago) when Kevin was about 1
year old or so and my mother-in-law came to visit. She is VERY
traditional and, at that time, so was I so it is really cool her
advice. I was having a struggle with getting Kevin down for a nap and
he was fighting it and things were escalating into anger and
frustration. My mother-in-law very gently says "Why don't you just
let him go until he is tired and he will probably find a spot and
crash, that is what I did with Martin." I was a little taken back but
I decided to give it a shot.............he fell asleep at his high
chair at dinner, we got a good laugh and then I put him in his crib
for a nice little nap; no coercing, no frustration, just his natural
cycle, it was so great! I learned a great lesson that day!
Heidi
her if she was sleepy and felt she needed a rest and let it go at
that she would have said no.*
I think what people here are trying to tell you is that when there is
no control over those kinds of things children learn to listen to
their bodies and know when they need rest, etc. In our home, if I
asked one of my kids if they were tired, and they were, in fact tired,
they would say yes! If they needed a nap they would probably come to
me and tell me that they wanted to lay down, or what usually happens
is that they would just go find a quiet place and lay down and sleep.
If you were to let go of those controls, initially it would seem like
chaos until they learned how to listen to their bodies, on their own,
without someone telling them how they feel. There are times that my
kids push the limits but I feel that it is there body and nine times
out of ten when they do that they realize it doesn't make them feel
very good and the next time they put more thought into their choices.
The first clue for your situation should have been that she didn't
fall asleep which is a good indication that she wasn't tired, so she
was being honest with you in the first place.
My children are that way with everything......they have figured out
how they need to eat to feel good and healthy, how much sleep they
need, how much exercise. In fact, my oldest son was just telling me
that he has been sitting too much and his legs hurt, the kids have
decided that we need to go for a swim tonight.
I was just remembering a time (a long time ago) when Kevin was about 1
year old or so and my mother-in-law came to visit. She is VERY
traditional and, at that time, so was I so it is really cool her
advice. I was having a struggle with getting Kevin down for a nap and
he was fighting it and things were escalating into anger and
frustration. My mother-in-law very gently says "Why don't you just
let him go until he is tired and he will probably find a spot and
crash, that is what I did with Martin." I was a little taken back but
I decided to give it a shot.............he fell asleep at his high
chair at dinner, we got a good laugh and then I put him in his crib
for a nice little nap; no coercing, no frustration, just his natural
cycle, it was so great! I learned a great lesson that day!
Heidi