She was 12. When we woke up that morning she was tired but insisted we still go. I told her she could sleep in. We left the park an hour after we got there because I enforced it. She still wanted to continue but she later said she thought I would be upset if she wanted to leave. She felt that way because the year prior my son acted a fool a day or two and we had to leave the park a few times. She didn’t want me to be upset again but I explained it’s two different scenarios.
Oh, now I can understand the situation. While most teens would sleep at any time, pre-teens often don't like to admit when they are tired. Maybe they don't want to upset the parents, maybe they don't want to feel like "small kids" that need naps... Parents should learn to notice "tired signs" as you did even when the kid swears she's not tired. A cranky and irritable kid may need a nap more that one that just looks "sleepy". Ok I stop because we are off topic, but I think it's wrong assume that only very small kids may need naps.