As A Mother...

When my older two children get whiny and pick on each other it usually means one of two things; They are tired or they are hungry. My solution? Feed them and send them to bed.

If only this worked!

My daughter, if tired will fall asleep easily and quietly. She sleeps for whatever time her little body needs, and wakes up sweet and happy. She has always needed more sleep than my son. She was still taking regular naps at 4 years old, when her brother, then 2 years old, stopped needing them.

My son is a different story. He may need a nap, but if sent to bed - even for just a rest (which means no sleeping) - he is restless. He is all boy and has found many creative ways to amuse himself while *banned* to his bed... I cannot count the parts of his bed I have been brought after such a time of rest, parts that were meant to be his "treasure" or his "gun for shooting bad guys invading the back yard." Parts, I am sure, that were originally designed to keep his bed from falling apart. To keep this from happening, nap time is cut short.

I am a mother still waiting for that perfect solution...