Toddler and sleeping

If my two year old could have it his way, he wouldn’t go to sleep until midnight and probably wouldn’t nap most days. However I’m a firm believer in daytime naps and if you were ever in my house around 2pm and saw my cranky tot - you would agree it’s nap time. But to get him to nap and go to bed at night these days, you first have to go through 15-30 minutes of very serious crying. It breaks my heart sometimes, especially when his dad puts him down because he will cry out for me 😢 is anyone else’s toddler like this? Or any advice to get him to go down easier? Should I just follow his schedule and let him nap when he’s ready? I want more peaceful nap and bedtimes!!