SALT LAKE CITY — Recently, I made the mistake of telling my toddler that we were going to the aquarium after he took his nap.

It was a rookie mistake, I know, and one that cost us dearly.

Normally my 17-month-old son is a pretty good napper, but thanks to the emergence of a new molar he was restless and already not sold on the idea of a nap that day. The mere mention of an offer 50 times more appealing than settling down and laying in his crib solidified his resistance, and I knew I was in for it.

The struggle began.

We have a pretty solid pre-bed routine, and I can usually cajole him out of his reluctance with the promise of not one, not two, but three books before we sing, have kisses and go night-night. But even re-reading “Bears in the Night” twice was no match for his excitement to see the fish and penguins. He whined for them in earnest, his cries punctuated by a well-placed kick and shove in his stubborn attempt to flee my desperate grip.

Believe it or not, I actually have learned to be more flexible about nap times, which has probably contributed to my son's cooperation when he is tired and ready to go to sleep. But on this day, our schedule was tight. Not only did we have an outing planned, but we were meeting a group of other mommies. Complicating matters, I invited them via Facebook and I didn’t even have their cell numbers to call and discuss Plan B. My child, like most his age, morphs into quite the monster when he hasn’t napped, and the entire rest of the day and night are plunged into angry toddler chaos.

Yes, the stakes were high, and my desperation — and stress — grew. I stubbornly stuck to the bedtime routine, encircling his body with what I hoped was an unbreakable grip and singing every soothing lullaby I could remember the words to. And yet, he continued to resist, and our frustration levels kept rising until I thought I was going to yell and fight as much as he was.

And then, he booped my nose.

In the midst of his squirming and whining he stopped, looked up at me, tapped his little pointer finger on the end of my nose and said, “Boop!”

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And we giggled. A lot.

It was the perfect tension-breaking move, and it couldn’t have been employed at a more perfect time. I don’t know if he knew the effect it would have, if it was a last-ditch effort of a boy determined to see some penguins, or if it was just one of those spur-of-the-moment impulses that make toddlerhood such a wild ride. Whatever the motivation, it turned out to be just what I needed.

That little boop on the nose reminded me that my job as a mother is to create a happy, secure child. While naps and penguins contribute to happiness in their own right, what my son really needs is a mother who pays attention to his needs and takes care of them the best way she can. For us, this means that sometimes — occasionally — he wins, so that he knows his mommy really is listening and is willing to sacrifice her plans to accommodate his little heart’s earnest desires.

So we put an end to nap time. We got up, got him dressed and went downstairs to indulge in some graham crackers, his favorite snack. Instead of holding onto the tension and wounded pride, I let it go and we kept on giggling.And you know what? We never did make it to the aquarium, and he never did have a nap. But we did spend the rest of the afternoon playing, wrestling, reading “Bears in the Night” (again) and laughing.

Just what we both needed.

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