When children are very young, they have no concept of time. So when you tell them they’re going to Six Flags amusement park next Saturday, they don’t understand that means they have to wait. They expect it to happen tomorrow. It’s extremely hard for small children to wait too long. You'll not only make it hard on them to wait, but you'll also get pestered a lot about how much longer.

The other problem with telling them your plans is that sometimes the plans get changed or canceled. What if it rains and you can’t go to Six Flags. Then you have a very disappointed child. If they never knew the plans to start with they will not get disappointed.

On the other hand, letting them know the schedule for the day is very important and beneficial to you as a parent. You want to inform your child of the plans for the day so they can prepare for them. When you prepare them for the day, things run much smoother. When you catch them by surprise, you might get a bad reaction, even if there is no reason for it.

I also think it’s important to let kids know when it’s time for an activity to end. If you’re playing at a park and you suddenly say “Okay, it’s time to leave”, you’re probably going to get a wild reaction. If you warn them that in two minutes it will be time to go, it gives the child a chance to prepare for the end.

I used to tell my kids they had two minutes more, but it was usually five to ten minutes. As my kids got older, it became quite a joke for them to ask “a real two minutes or Mommy’s two minutes?”