Dear Child,

Please trust me when I tell you that you are tired.  I am not lying to you.  I promise that you are really tired.  I know you don’t think you need a nap, but you do.   Your little brain is growing and developing at an incredible rate.  Just yesterday, you learned how to scale the pantry shelves to get my chocolate chip stash.  Your little brain needs the rest.

I am not putting you to bed so that I can watch scooby doo and have lots of fun while you sleep.  I promise you aren’t missing out on much.  Really, I’m sure the tv won’t even be turned on.  We’ll all be doing exciting things like cleaning the house and finishing up our learning.

I am not putting you to bed so that I can eat all of the cupcakes and drink all of the juice.  I promise. But after an afternoon like today, I may break out the vodka and declare it 5 o’clock even if it’s only noonish.

Sweet child, when I call you, I’d appreciate if you’d answer.  Because you are my wanderer.  You are my adventurous Dangerous child.  You are the one who decided to walk around the block and take your brother with you.  You are the one who has scaled the stairs from the outside.  So when you don’t answer, I become terrified.  I immediately send the troops in mass to look for you.   And when we can’t find you, I always wonder how soon is too soon to call the police? When we do the second search we look under things and behind things and in the small spaces, because you are a hider.  You’re a darn good hider.  I don’t find it funny to find you hiding behind a door being very still and quiet.  I don’t even find it vaguely amusing.  Please stop.

I definitely don’t find it very amusing to find you asleep where you were hiding, especially at 4 in the afternoon.  A nap at 4pm means a cranky child at dinner.  A cranky kid at dinner means a miserable evening.  A miserable evening seems to drag on and on.

Please, tomorrow when I tell you it’s nap time, trust me.  I know what I’m talking about.

Love,

Mom