A child needs adults who remember the promise after the excitement of making it fades.

A promise costs nothing in the moment it is made and everything to the child who is counting days. Adults make them in a warm mood, meaning it entirely, and then Monday arrives with its own weight and the plan dissolves. The child does not learn that you were busy. They learn how much a sentence from an adult is worth, and that lesson is durable.

Write promises down the same day you make them. If something cannot happen, say so early and offer a specific replacement rather than letting the date pass in silence. Make fewer promises if that is what it takes to keep the ones you make.