- Who it's for
- Inside Parent, Outside Caregiver
- Child / youth age
- All ages
- Geography
- National
- Action type
- Talk
- Reading time
- About 4 min
- Last verified
- August 2026
What this is
Sentence-level guidance for talking with a child about timelines when the adults themselves do not know the outcome.
Why it matters
A broken promise costs more trust than an honest uncertainty. Children can hold 'I don't know yet' when it comes with what is certain.
What you should know
- Pair every uncertainty with a certainty: 'I don't know when, but I will call every Sunday.'
- Avoid 'soon' — children translate it into a specific date.
- Tell the child who will tell them when something changes, so they are not scanning for clues.
- Older youth generally prefer more information, not less.
- Keep adult frustration about the process out of the child's version of the news.
- Revisit the conversation after a change rather than assuming the child absorbed it.
Talk about it
Practice one sentence together before saying it to the child.
Your next step
Write the sentence you will use the next time a date changes.
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