We walk to a nearby park and my toddler spends ten minutes studying a crack in the pavement. The moment I say it's time to go, the swings become urgent business. I'm trying to stop planning a perfect park visit and start planning a manageable return home.
Sometimes the walk and the pavement are the outing. The slide is optional.
We give a warning by event, like one more swing, rather than an abstract five minutes.
The pavement is certainly getting more attention than the play equipment.
Sometimes the tiny detour is the entire outing for a toddler. We had more success planning a peaceful return than squeezing in every piece of equipment.
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