I can't wait for the curfew battles

The new naptime rules as I've laid them out the past few days are quite simple. Julia must stay in her bed and rest for half an hour. If she is not tired after half an hour, she may get up and play quietly in her room for the next hour. Then she can come out. Any early departures from her room or unnecessary calls to me before then result in 5 minutes being added onto the clock each time. Plain and simple, I keep telling her as she tries desperately to offer me "deal" after "deal" that will result in a shortened naptime: this is how it is. Some days, she naps. Some days, she stays quietly in her room. Other days, she's a pain in the ass and I add time onto the clock. At least now we both know what to expect and how to react. Until today.

Each day, when I tuck Julia in bed, we look at the clock and figure out where the hands will be when she can get out of bed and where they will be when quiet time is over. "When the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 3," I told her today, "it will be 3:00 and you can come out." Less than an hour later, she called to me. "It's time to get up," she yelled loudly. "Come on, Mommy -- the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 3!" Up to her room I stomped, hands on hips, ready to scold. And there she was, holding her clock, which she had re-set to 3:00. Round and match: Julia.