Nap Time Battles

It is nap time. My firstborn is in her room throwing the mother of all fits. She doesn't want to sleep. "Fine," I tell her. "Be still and rest for awhile." She doesn't want to rest. She wants to kick her wall, take her clothes off, and scream like a wild animal. I don't let her get away with doing this. I go up there 3 and 4 times, disciplining each time.

It's not working. She won't stop. I want to cry. Where is my sweet child and who is this maniac destroying her room?

90% of the time, Beatrice is an angel. She is sensitive to others, she is kind and affectionate. The other 10% of the time she has a bad attitude, she is defiant, and would rather endure unpleasant consequences than obey her mother.

When she is acting like her 10% self, I don't know what to do. I try to stay calm and remind myself that I need to be the constant variable in the situation. While she is acting like a crazed lunatic, I need to remain in control and deal with the attitude adjusting without getting angry and emotional. I am a yeller by nature, but I try with all my might not to resort to raising my voice. I fail almost every single time. What can I do?

I want to go up there and tell her to knock it off. Acting like a brat is ruining both of our day. Why can't she just lie still for 45 minutes and play quietly? She knows she's getting a consequence every time I come upstairs to tell her to be quiet. Why won't she just give in and settle down? But saying all that is not going to work. I've tried before. She's 3 and even though she's really smart, I can't reason with a 3 year old.

Every day is not always a bad day. When we have a bad one though, I want to call a therapist. I want to interrogate every mother of well-mannered daughters and absorb all the wisdom and insight they can give me. Sometimes, I want to throw in the towel. I think she's stronger than me, you guys. I usually end up on my knees though, begging God to help me. Because I won't throw in the towel. I won't give up trying to refine my daughter's rebellion into obedience. I love her too much.

So I'm gonna go back up there and discipline my child again. She's 3 and even though she's acting like a maniac, her mama loves her too much to let her get away with it.