To nap or Not to nap

I have always had trouble getting Noah to sleep; whether it was nap time or night time. Noah puts up a hell of a fight, however I can always see in his eyes how sleepy he really is. It is super frustrating  -especially since I know he needs his rest in order to have the energy he needs.Three years later the fight continues, but I don't think I have the patience to keep up the struggle every day. The sad thing is about 5:00, after a napless day, his eyes get heavy. Sadly I can't let him close his eyes so late in the day, b/c I wouldn't be able to get him to sleep that night. So now that my patience is running thin I think I am going to give up the fight, and hope that on the days that he REALLY needs his rest he is able to close his  and sleep.