Naps

So Tommy stopped taking a nap in December. It wasn't his choice, it was mine. He was having a hard time going to bed before 8:30 and I like both kids to be in bed no later than 7:30. But every day around 4pm, I have to wonder if I've made a horrible mistake.

Lizzie and I picked Tommy up at 3:30 and he was in a great mood. He'd had a wonderful day at school and had all kinds of things to tell me about the big boys (one of them lost a tooth; two others had not). And then we got home and he asked me to blow up a balloon for him. So I did. And guess who else wanted a balloon? Lizzie. And when I blew up a balloon for Lizzie (her own balloon, not Tommy's balloon), we started the nightly cycle of tantrums. When I refused to take the balloon away from Lizzie, he stormed up to his room and pouted. When I finally went up to get him, he started the tantrum again, even though Lizzie had left both balloons three floors below. I convinced him to come down for dinner, and he had a tantrum because the pasta wasn't spaghetti. He cried also because there wasn't corn in his pasta! Then a tantrum because I wouldn't let him eat cashews. Then a tantrum because he didn't want to take his clothes off for bath. (I should mention that during all of these tantrums, he takes time away from the main focus to talk about how much he (1) needs his daddy, (2) misses his daddy, (3) really wants his daddy, (4) is worried about his daddy because his daddy isn't home, and occasionally (5) how I should go to work so his daddy can stay home. And by about 4:45, I am ready to sign up for that last one.)

And the crazy part is that while he's crying, he often says this: "but Mommy, you didn't give me a nap today." Sometimes, he says, "I just really need a nap."

Friends, we are closing in on two months without a nap and this situation does not appear to be improving. Do we reintroduce the nap? Or will this end?