18 month old has recently extended his 1 nap per day to an average of 3 hours (roughly from 12 -3 but sometimes from 1:30 -4:30) and as a result doesn't go to sleep at night until 9:30pm (or later! He used to go to bed at 7pm).

We bed share and he's still nursing and BF's to sleep etc etc etc so I get a nice nap in during the day but then I lose the 3 or 4 hours to myself in the evening when he's asleep (because he still wakes at 6:30am so I still need to go to soon after he does so I can function in the morning). I have done ZERO sleep training in the past and I totally believe in following the baby's/child's lead and believe that he knows what is best for him.

So...my question to veteran AP-ers is: does it go against AP principles and would it be disrespectful to my son if I woke him early from his nap in an attempt to get him to go to bed earlier at night? Or is this, too, something that will pass without my interference and should I just wait it out (as I have waited out all his other phases)?

Thanks for any insight into this issue!