So your kids have outgrown naps. And now your lovely, quiet-filled afternoon schedule has completely collapsed, never to be seen again.
Screech – rewind!
No, that’s not how this is going to happen. *You* get to have a little something different about your day going forward – aka, you get to keep naptime (even when your kids are older).
Here’s how.
You see, all you have to do is “keep” naptime – but rename it as something else. “Afternoon quiet time,” or “hobby time,” or “don’t play with your siblings time.” That sort of thing.
*You* know it’s alone time – *they* know it’s free play time – but the old naptime rules still apply.
- No coming out and bugging Mom for no good reason
- In fact, no coming out and bugging Mom at all! (Unless you need help with a potty break or something.)
- You need to be reasonably quiet in your room – otherwise Mom will kick you outside or to the laundry room (and won’t *that* be boring!)
- You’re allowed to be with your sibling – but if you start fighting, Mom reserves the right to separate you (and pick who gets the Magnatile structure you both want!)
That sort of thing. You know, basic ground rules of semi-quiet behavior and all that.
It’s your quiet time, too.
And the best part?
*You* get a break, *they* get a break (no chores or homeschooling allowed!), *and* they get to be apart from siblings if they’re the type who needs quiet and space.
This is when your son can say “out of my room” and not get scolded for it. (Because if you need some “nobody around me” time, maybe they do, too!)
And pretty soon, your daughter’s telling you that she just needs some alone time (she’s learning how to practice self-recovery after a meltdown episode), or your son’s commenting that he can’t wait till quiet time when he can have his room all to himself.
You nod, smile, and walk away.
‘Cause you can’t wait for that, too. Only your room is the living room. (Or in-home office.) And *you* get to enjoy an afternoon of uninterrupted biz tasks, course creation, podcast interviewing, or, heck, podcast *listening* – just the way you want to.
Because it’s *your* quiet time, too.
So. Downtime for everyone.
This is how you do it, when your kids have outgrown naps.
Enjoy!
