Not at all Mel, some of them just have different little personalities, and it is very normal for a child to feel insecure with sleeping until they are 2-3. He will get there, some just take longer than others unfortunately and I know it's very trying, so the best thing you can do is work out some support for you and make sure you get some time out. I've been there with Marisa, and Elijah is 19 months and still ends up in our bed in the middle of the night, but I do know that someday soon our bed will be empty again! I'm just trying to make the transition as gentle and smooth as possible, so that they will initiate moving into their own beds and feeling safe about bed alone at night. Marisa did this between 2-2.5, she started telling us she was tired, wanted to go to bed, etc.

I know it probably doesn't help you much or give you a magic answer, but I think making bedtime as fun (in a non-energetic kinda way), safe, gentle, warm time is the only way to get things going sooner. Having those cues going but it's not worth fighting him to get into bed if he's not tired, wearing him out more during the day and perhaps not stressing about the daytime sleep too much - Elijah is in the in-between of having a day nap and not, and I am at the stage where as much as I love him to have a nap, it's better if he doesn't as he goes down earlier!