What is Time to a Child?

What is time to a child? When you have only experienced a couple of Christmases or a few birthdays, time seems to be infinite and long. That will certainly change with age and perspective. My preschool age son is in the habit of "goofing off" and wasting time; and we are trying to make him understand that wasting time ends up reducing the time available for fun things! But it is a hard lesson when you are four. Last evening I took him swimming at a friend's pool and he kept getting sidetracked and wasting time instead of eating his dinner (which he had to finish before we went swimming). I think I convinced him that if he kept it up, we would not have time to go swimming. But afterward, getting ready for bed took way too long and so did getting up this morning. So he got a lecture from me which made him pout. So I hugged him and told him I love him and we can only see if we fight the same battle again or if he starts to understand. It could, of course, be part of a struggle to exert some control over his surroundings—but to an "old guy" like me, it is frustrating to waste so much time!