My toddler has a fit every time I tell him to wait a minute. My toddler has a fit every time I tell him to wait a minute. For a start, your child's memory doesn't yet work the way yours does, so he may have little recollection of past waits that had satisfying endings.
Toddlers remember some things so well that it's hard to believe they have memory problems.
But while yours may know a favorite story better than you do yourself, it can take weeks of tripping over the hallway rug before its placement is etched into his mind. Just as your child's memory for past events is selective, so is his ability to foresee the future. Your toddler may be able anticipate his dad's arrival home from the sound of his key in the lock, for instance, yet be completely unprepared for the frightening darkness that follows when he shuts himself in the closet. If he wants something at all, he wants it now and will start clamoring as he watches you remove the wrapper from his popsicle or search for clothing for a promised outing. A minute seems interminable to him, and if you ask him to live through a whole chunk of time, such as a meal or a phone call, before he gets what he wants, the pleasure to come gets completely lost in the frustration of the moment.