If you give a 3-year old a nap....

If you take a 3-year old on a drive at 5 pm, chances are she will fall asleep in the car.

If she takes a nap in the car she will still be in the pink princess dress she insisted on wearing.

If she is wearing a pink princess dress, you will probably fret during her entire nap that she will pee before she wakes up.

If she pees before she wakes up, you will have a mess to clean up and a crying child to deal with.

If she doesn't pee, you will be surprised.

If she doesn't wake up, you will be surprised.

If she doesn't wake up, you will gently cart her to and from soccer practice stuffed in a stroller with a blanket, then to and from the house in the same blanket.

If she is still asleep when bedtime rolls around, you will remove her shoes, but not the dress, and pray that she stays dry and pray that she stays asleep.

If she stays in bed, you will go to bed early because you know you will need rest.

When she finally wakes up, it might just be 3:30 in the morning.

If it is 3:30 am she will be hungry and ask for food.

If she asks for food, she will be awake enough to realize she needs to go to the bathroom.

If she goes to the bathroom, she will realize she is still wearing the pink princess dress.

If she is still wearing the pink princess dress, she will want to put on her pajamas.

If she puts on her pajamas, she will realize she needs the nightly ritual of rocking and snuggling and q-tips (don't ask me why, but every night she needs q-tips).

If you rock her and snuggle her and help her clean her ears with "ear-tips," she might just lay in bed.  Might. Until her mind keeps racing and her body keeps wiggling.

If her mind races and her body wiggles, she will ask to watch a show.

If she asks to watch a show, you might just give in because it is now 4:30 am and you are tired and will give anything to get back to sleep.

If you let her watch a show, you hope and pray again that she might just take another nap.

If you give the 3-year old another nap...