Damned if you do, damned if you don't

It seems all of my days can be put into one of two categories.

I. Damned if you do--get Aurora to take a nap, that is. Two hours of quiet. Two hours of not having to keep her in sight at all times. Two hours to get something done without her special brand of "help." Two hours to get absolutely nothing done at all except to rest up for when she awakens. But the payment for this peace comes after her bedtime, when she spends 2-3 hours calling for a drink or a teddy bear, or climbing over the baby gate (or just shaking it until it's loose) and coming downstairs. Preschoolers are not supposed to fall asleep after their parents.

II. Damned if you don't. If she doesn't take a nap, she is whiny and clingy by 3:30 in the afternoon. The littlest thing upsets her, and the afternoon and evening is filled with the sounds of her screams and wails (because it is a learned skill to cry quietly). If you put your hand on her shoulder and ask her to move, she collapses in a heap as if she had been pushed. On these nights, she may fall alseep by 7:30, or she may be so overtired that she can't fall asleep and does a mini-performance of Category I until 8 or 8:30.