Grievous Harm

From Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Yarn Harlot (as if most of you haven't read it already):

My nephew Hank is seven now and spent the weekend here, and there is no end to the things he taught me during that time.

1. I had been under the impression that the most painful thing a mother can step on (after careful research and years of experience) was a four-hole square lego piece. I was wrong.

The smallest of these "Star Wars Fighting Guys" hurts so much to step on that you don't even feel the emotional pain of your nephew screaming "don't hurt my guys!" while you slowly extract an extremely small lightsaber from the fleshy part of your instep. . . .

Which brings up the question of why little children never seem to step so painfully on their own toys, even when vulnerable and distracted.