A picture book for parents + kids ages 4–8
Do I Have to Wait on My Birthday?!
Waiting is one of the hardest things we ask of a small child — and a birthday is made almost entirely of it. This is the story of a boy who could not wait, and the day that taught him why it was worth it.
Book One of the “Do I Have To?” series by Justin De Santos.
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Why waiting is so hard when you are six
“Waiting can feel unbearable.”
Justin De Santos, on writing for four- to eight-year-olds
Adults have years of practice managing the space between wanting something and getting it. Young children are still learning how. Waiting asks them to control impulses, manage frustration, and keep a future reward in mind, skills that are still developing throughout childhood.
Stories can help. When children watch a character struggle with a feeling they recognize, try the wrong thing, and eventually find a better way through it, the lesson becomes concrete. And when a parent talks with them about what the character felt and did, the story can become a starting point for learning how to handle that feeling themselves.
A story that meets the moment
Timmy is six, and birthdays are full of exciting things: presents, friends, games, cake, and a lot of waiting. Through humor, heart, and relatable childhood choices, Timmy learns about patience, self-control, and why some of life's best moments are worth waiting for.
Nobody lectures him. He simply starts to notice that a lot of today's disasters have the same cause.
Inside the book
A ball, a car, and a warning that rain is coming.
He goes outside anyway.
He takes one bite of cake before the party.
What the story opens up at home
Patience
The stretch between wanting something and getting it — named, drawn, and taken seriously rather than brushed off.
Self-control
Timmy knows the rule every time. The story lives in the gap between knowing it and doing it.
Choices and consequences
Outcomes follow decisions, and Timmy is the one who spots the pattern — not an adult who spells it out for him.
The book also includes a note for grown-ups. Justin's hope for it is that the story gives parents and children a way to talk, laugh and grow together through the hard waiting moments.
Read the story
Do I Have to Wait on My Birthday?! — Book One of the “Do I Have To?” series.
- Ages 4–8
- Read-aloud or early independent read
- Includes a note for parents
Or start with the free Waiting Kit
A two-page printable for the next real waiting moment.
- Four activities — I-Spy, doodling, Would You Rather, and a challenge
- Timmy's Pause: Stop, Breathe, Think, Choose
- Seven phrases for parents
Written by a dad who knows these moments firsthand
Justin De Santos writes from his own experience as a father, along with three and a half years spent working in an elementary school. Timmy began at home, when one of Justin’s own children was having a hard time waiting for something he wanted. Justin gives Timmy his flaws on purpose, so children can recognize themselves in him instead of being measured against a perfectly behaved character. More about Justin
Questions parents ask
What age is this book for?
Ages 4–8 — a read-aloud at the younger end, an early independent read at the older end.
Is this a book about patience?
Yes. Patience and self-control are the center of the story, told through one six-year-old's birthday rather than through instruction.
Will my child feel told off by it?
Timmy is never punished or lectured in the story. He makes impulsive choices, sees what follows, and works out the pattern himself.
Is it part of a series?
It is Book One of the “Do I Have To?” series, which follows Timmy through the choices, emotions and everyday challenges of growing up. More Timmy stories are on the way.