Leaves are apparently M.’s first irrational fear. Thursday was a perfect day: 82, no humidity, gentle breeze, sunny skies; so we spent most of the day outside. We got her a sandbox on Tuesday, so she played in that a lot. She ran into the neighbors’ yard to trick us into letting her climb on their tree house. I mowed and trimmed the yard while she “helped” S. sweep the garage. But anytime a leaf came close to her, she freaked. “Leeef. Leeef.” She would start calmly identifying the leaves. As they blew closer to her, her level of agitation rose rapidly. “LEEEF! LEEEF! YUCKY!” Then she’d burst into tears, stomp her feet, and scream. Seriously, how does a kid A) decide a leaf poses danger to her and B) not realize she’s far more mobile than a leaf that’s blowing in the wind and just run away from it? We live on a wooded lot, for crying out loud. She better get used to leaves fast or she’ll never leave the house.